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„ The World’s First International Magazine For Drummers

Chad Wackerman

Lionel

Hampton

Allan
Schwartzberg

BLACK BEAUTY'S BACK

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Photo by Rick Malkin

CHAD

PCI

WACKERMAN

His work with Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth has
established Chad Wackerman as a drummer who can

handle extremely complex music, while his playing with
Albert Lee and Men At Work shows that he is equally
comfortable with simple grooves. For Chad, the goal is
to play each style convincingly.

by Robyn Flans

ALLAN

SCHWARTZBERG

A typical day for a busy New York studio drummer in¬
volves a number of sessions and a variety of challenges.
We followed Allan Schwartzberg around on one of those
days for a revealing look at the real world of session
drumming.

by Robert Santelli

Photo by Ebet Roberts

LIONEL

HAMPTON

Known primarily for his pioneering use of the vibraphone,
Lionel Hampton started out as a drummer, and his work
on both instruments has contributed greatly to the history
of jazz. Here, he traces his long career and discusses the
importance of swing.

by Burt Korall

MD Trivia
Contest

Win Rod Morgensteins Premier drumset.

COLUMNS

VOLUME 12, NUMBER 12

EDUCATION

ROCK 'N' JAZZ
CLINIC

Linear Drumming

by Gary Chaffee

CONCEPTS

Trusting Your Own

Ideas _

by Roy Bums

TRACKING

Odd Rhythms And
Meters In TV And Film

Cues _

by Emil Richards

JAZZ DRUMMERS'
WORKSHOP

"Erskoman" _

by Peter Erskine

DRIVER'S SEAT

Solo Fills And Figures
by Gil Graham

ROCK CHARTS

Leroy Clouden:
"Century's End"

Transcribed by
James Morton

THE MACHINE
SHOP

Recording Your
Drum Machine

by Steve La Cerra

IN THE STUDIO

Session Rehearsals

by Craig Krampf

CLUB SCENE

Stocking Stuffers II

by Rick Van Horn

PORTRAITS

Neil Grover

by Andrea Byrd

EQUIPMENT

SHOP TALK

Vater Percussion

by Adam Budofsky

PRODUCT

CLOSE-UP

Yamaha Power V

Drum kit _

by Bob Saydlowski, Jr.

ELECTRONIC

REVIEW

MacDrums

by Rick Mattingly

1988 READER'S
QUESTIONNAIRE

96a

NEW AND
NOTABLE

106

120

UPDATE

INDUSTRY

HAPPENINGS

116

The

Live

Action

I recently reviewed the results of a nationwide
poll conducted by The National Research Center
For The Arts. One segment of the poll examined
how young Americans are spending their leisure
hours, and what forms of entertainment are most
popular. Interestingly, though live music events
scored high in popularity, actual attendance fig¬
ures were down an astounding 26% since 1984.

The reasons for the decline ranged from a lack
of time, to exhorbitant ticket prices, to a shortage
of performances in certain areas. However, the
strongest contributing factor was the increasing
popularity of CD's and VCR's, which apparently
are being used nowadays as substitutes for live
entertainment. Evidently, a rather substantial per¬
centage of young people are content to stay at
home with their entertainment centers, rather than
attend live music events.

This trend seems to further indicate that today's
young musicians are making less of an effort to
see their favorite artists in live performance. And
that doesn't strike me as being a particularly healthy
sign. Of course, there's obviously nothing wrong
with purchasing the records and viewing the vid¬
eos. But, in truth, neither can ever really replace
being part of a live audience. We all learn best
from careful, repetitive, close-up observation of
the players we admire—something recordings and
TV simply cannot provide. Observing the live ac¬
tion is an essential aspect of learning.

A classic example stands out vividly in my
memory. Some readers, old enough to remember,
may recall a place called Birdland in New York
City. Despite its legendary status, Birdland was
actually nothing more than a rather dingy base¬
ment nightclub, with about as much atmosphere
as a Burger King. And yet, hundreds of wide-eyed
musicians would file down that narrow flight of
stairs into this literally underground establishment
seven nights a week. For a mere two-dollar admis¬
sion, you could sit for hours in the "Peanut Gal¬
lery," not more then five feet from some of the
finest drummers of all time. Aspiring players would
come from miles around to sit shoulder to shoul¬
der in that cramped "Gallery." But nobody cared.
We were there to watch, to listen, and to marvel
at the greatest drummers in the world. And that's
all that really mattered. It was a truly inspiring
learning experience.

We do our best to enlighten you each month on
the styles and techniques of the great players of
our time. But reading about it is only one aspect.
More important is to get out and see the players
you admire and wish to emulate, and absorb all
you can from their live performances in the con¬
cert halls and clubs around the country. This is
most definitely one phase of the learning process
we should never overlook or underestimate.

MODERN DRUMMER

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the look of the streets. The rumble of a big V-twin.

Premier Projector kits are more than Just drums.
They're a statement of how you feel about your
music, The hand-crafted shells have the sound of
thunder. The deep lacquer and brilliant chrome have
the look of classic beauty.

The development of Projector drums was guided by
rock and roll drummers. They wanted them loud—
with strong low frequencies—with tough, roadworthy
hardware—with a deep lacquer finish.

They got what they wanted—the best looking, best
sounding and best performing drums In the world of
rock and roll.

If you haven't played Projector drums before, check
out a set at your Premier dealer. You'll see what we're
talking about. If you appreciate rock and roll, you'll
understand. The beauty of lacquer and chrome. The
sound of thunder.

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AIRTO, SPENCER, AND VELEZ

Hooray for you guys! It's good to see a
publication keep its promises. When you
announced that Modem Percussionist was
to cease publication as of the September
1987 issue, I was very disappointed. I am a
working percussionist with only a moder¬
ate interest in the drumset, and I had greatly
enjoyed the features and columns contained
in MP. So it was with some trepidation that
I subscribed to Modem Drummer, based
on your assurance that MD would dedi¬
cate a fair share of coverage to the percus¬
sion world. But I must say, in addition to
columns you've already presented by Emil
Richards and Anthony Cirone, your Sep¬
tember issue—with its cover story on Airto
and profiles of both Julie Spencer and Glen
Velez—reaffirmed my faith in those assur¬
ances. Thanks very much for all the infor¬
mation on these excellent performers.
Please continue to include such excellent
coverage of the non-drumset side of our
fascinating percussive world.

William Reynolds
Omaha NE

DAVE TOUGH

Thanks for printing Burt Korall's piece on
Dave Tough. [September '88 MD] Articles
like that—making us aware of the musical
tradition/heritage of the instrument, and of
the techniques and ideas of one of the art¬
ists who are part of that tradition—are
greatly appreciated and desperately needed.

Ed Soph
Denton TX

Thank you for the wonderful article on Dave
Tough. It was beautifully written and very
informative. It was listening to Dave that
inspired me to be a drummer, when I was
ten years old and Dave was with Tommy
Dorsey. For years, I wondered how he got
those beautiful sounds from his bass drum

and snare. Your article was very enlighten¬
ing.

Alex Menriquez
Arlington WA

I can't thank you enough for publishing the
Dave Tough article. It has been long over¬
due. I am sure that many of the people you
feature in most of your issues are better
schooled and have better chops than Davey
ever had. But while Dave wove magic car¬
pets, these people drive piles. I know that's
what the music industry requires these days,
and you are to be congratulated all the
more for printing something that goes
against the common wisdom and features
a true drumming artist.

Don Robertson

Brookside NJ

BUDDY MILES

Buddy Miles was a tremendous influence
on me as a young drummer in the late
1960s. I appreciated the power and soulful
feeling that he brought to the music of the
Electric Flag and his own Express. Looking
back now, I realize what a pivotal figure he
was in the transition between "soul" music
and "rock" music, which laid the founda¬
tion for so many successful bands that fol¬
lowed. I was pleased to see an article on
Buddy in MD, and even more pleased with
the straightforward manner in which Buddy
spoke of both his good and bad times.
Robert Santelli is to be commended for a
fine interview.

Jake Previllar

New Orleans LA

TWO-WAY STREET

I was very pleased and thankful for your
September '88 Editor's Overview ["A Two-
Way Street"], which dealt with the rela¬
tionship between music dealers and musi¬
cians. The editorial was on the money, and

with a magazine of your size and profile,
I'm sure it will influence the thinking and
behavior of both partners in the relation¬
ship. Thanks for your sensitivity to an issue
that affects us all.

Warren Price
President
The Drum Shop
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

TRIGGERS II CLARIFICATION

First off, I would like to thank all of you at
MD for the fine and most favorable article
and review of our Drum Bug contact pickup
and Drum Bug DT-1 trigger in the Septem¬
ber issue.

Secondly, I would like to clear up some
possible misconceptions that Bob Saydlow-
ski, Jr. may have had at the time he wrote
the article. When using the Drum Bug con¬
tact pickup as a trigger on the bottom side
of the batter head, we do not ever recom¬
mend running the cable between the head
and rim. This is asking for trouble, bent
rims, cut cables, etc. If it can't be mounted
on top, as it was designed to be, and must
be mounted underneath, then we suggest
removing the bottom head of the drum so
that the cables can run out the bottom of
the drum.

The Drum Bug is a contact pickup to
replace mic's and stands and provide isola¬
tion in the mix. Triggering is better left to
our newer Drum Bug DT-1 trigger, as it was
designed specifically for a triggering appli¬
cation with the new units on the market in
mind. How many triggers have drummers
had to replace, just because the cheap cable
had broken? We've sought to eliminate that
problem by creating a durable sensor head
that has replaceable cables. The DT-1 has
a phono plug on top, and each unit comes
with its own cable, consisting of a right-
angle RCA phono plug, 7" Belden cable
ending in a 1/4" female jack with mounting

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Max Roach

It's been 72 hours since the
official announcement, and for
Max Roach, the sensation
lingers. "I didn't sleep at all
last night," said a smiling
Roach backstage after
performing a solo set before an
adoring crowd of University of
Massachusetts students and
faculty. It's no complaint, just a
measure of what a MacArthur
Fellowship has meant to the
64-year-old composer,
percussionist, and UMass
professor, considered by many
the greatest drummer in jazz.

Roach, the first university
professor to receive the award,
will receive $372,000 from the
John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation of
Chicago over the next five
years. The no-strings-attached
grant has been given to some
254 fellows since 1981. The
other 30 winners this year
range from butterfly expert
Philip DeVries to military
historian David Alan Rosen¬
berg and puppeteer Bruce O.
Schwartz.

"I got a message in the
school office," said Roach,

"and I noticed it was from the
312 area code. I thought it
might be something about the
Chicago Jazz Festival in the
fall. I called and they told me
what it was. I was completely
speechless, dumbfounded, and
humbled. It was beyond my
wildest dreams."

For Roach, who considers
the award a tribute to bebop,
this is a chance to create
opportunities for others.

This performer, who has
cherished his black heritage
and musical roots while

forging fresh
musical territory,
plans to create a
music school in
New York's
Bedford-Stuyvesant
neighborhood,
where he grew up
and learned the
drums in the
neighborhood
church. "I've
always been
fortunate to play
with the most
creative people,"
says Roach. "I've
always been able
to make ends
meet. Now, I can
pay back a few of the things
that I've gotten from the
community I grew up in."

Roach has always mixed his
artistry with activism, be it in
protesting the Vietnam War or
in compositions like the 1961
"We Insist! Freedom Now
Suite" he wrote with Oscar
Brown Jr. "He's very much of a
risk-taker," says noted jazz
pianist, historian, and fellow
UMass professor Billy Taylor, a
friend of Roach's for 40 years.
"Because of his beliefs, he's
jeopardized his career. Some
people don't take activism
lightly in this country."

"We were always politically
aware," said Roach, who felt
the sting of blacklisting in the
'60s. "I was like that during the
Civil Rights Movement and the
Vietnam War. I was very
affected by what happened in
South Africa."

Roach was a beneficiary of
the New Deal's Works
Progress Administration
(WPA), which brought
subsidized artists into the
public schools. "I didn't know
the implications of all the
development at the time, but I
knew I could study an
instrument. Nowadays public
schools are in a lot of trouble.
But it's a funny thing, talent
will surface anyway."

Roach, who won an Obie
for his compositions for the
stage, has long been active in
academia, lecturing at the
School of Jazz in Lenox,
Massachusetts, and serving as
a full-time UMass professor
from 1973-78. He teaches
master classes a few weeks a
year now. He also plans to

begin work on his autobiogra¬
phy. "I think I've just scratched
the surface with it," said
Roach. "I think of what I'm
doing as being much like what
a writer does. I'm creating a
story on an instrument. That's
the approach I could take
working with Dizzy and Duke.
Now my students are taking it
another step further."

—David Perry

Gary Burke

When we last covered Gary
Burke (Sept. '87 MO), the cliff¬
hanging question we were left
with was, "Can Gary and the
Joe Jackson band possibly pull
off a live presentation of the
fully orchestral Will Power
album?" We're pleased to
report that "Yes!" is the
answer. Gary and members of
the Jackson band jetted to
Japan to join the Tokyo
Philharmonic Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by
Yoshikazu Tanaka, fora live
Will Power concert. With two
days of rehearsal, the massive
80-piece ensemble pulled
together a successful show.

"It was a huge undertaking
and difficult to know whether
it would fly or not," explains
Gary. "It turned out great, and
it was actually easier playing
the music live in concert than
it was recording it. The
Japanese musicians were very
strong, precise players, which
set well with the precise
rhythmic passages in Joe's
music." Offers for similar or¬
chestral collaborations have
come to Jackson from Europe
and also from major domestic
orchestras, including the

prestigious Cleveland Orches¬
tra.

Another winning collabora¬
tion was Gary's composing
work with The National Dance
Company of Portugal in
Lisbon. His piece, "Sopa Do
Dia" ("Soup Of The Day"),
composed on the Emulator 2
and the Linn 9000, is now an
official part of the company's
repertoire. In London, Burke
joined Jackson to work closely
with director Francis Ford
Coppola while recording the
soundtrack of the film Tucker.
Jackson's score called for a 30-
piece band that let loose
plenty of swing. "It was a
change of pace for us and a lot
of fun for me to play that kind
of music again," says Gary.

Producing has also kept
Gary busy. He produced
singer/guitarist Greg Kroll's
album Two Sides and is
working on another project
that is a potential act for
Canada A&M Records. Gary's
inspired drumset playing can
be heard in many other media
currently, including the
"Nighttime" celebrity spot
recorded with Jackson for a
Michelob TV ad, on a two-
hour video from the Big World
tour entitled Joe Jackson Live
In Tokyo, and also on two
sides of Jackson's retrospective
live double album, Joe Jackson
1980/1986. Gary plans to
continue growing through
composing and producing.

And as for his future versatile
projects on Jackson's team?
"With Joe, you just never
know what's next," he laughs.

—Jeff Potter

Denny

Fongheiser

MODERN DRUMMER

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BoctroT'bice’

Denny Fongheiser is enjoying
quite a busy time at the
moment, between working live
with Belinda Carlisle and in
the studio on countless
recording projects.

"I used to worry about
losing studio work by being
out of town," Denny admits,
"but actually, this tour was
really good for me in that
respect. We were only out for
three or four weeks at one
time, and a couple of projects
waited until I got back, which
was really nice. It just made
me realize that you can keep it
going. It's good to be able to
do both studio and live work,
just for a different energy. In
the studio, it's very creative,
and it's a different song every
day. There's much more
mental concentration with
more technique involved.

Also, the endurance is
different. Live, there isn't as
much of a technical pressure,
so there's more of an energy
you produce.

"I flew home to do Quarter-
flash during a few days off
from touring, and it was great
to be in the studio again,
because I love studio work.

But if you're in there every
day, sometimes you just start
going for some of the same,
safe things. Getting away from
it for a few weeks, I come back
with a whole fresh approach.

"With Belinda, we had a lot
-of freedom," he continues.

"She was happy as long as the
playing was strong and we had
the right feels and tempos of
the songs, and certain key
parts were done consistently
every night. All the songs were
real up-tempo, with real
straight-ahead grooves, so I
perceived my job as just
holding that groove. There
isn't a lot of flash or anything."

One of the more creative
studio gigs for Denny has been
recording Tracy Chapman's
debut offering. "That was great
to do because it was very
different. It was back to the
way they used to make
records. Everything was
tracked live, at least all the
bass, drums, Tracy's guitar, and
her vocals. We did a couple of
songs a day, and David Kersh-
enbaum produced. His whole
approach was to make Tracy's
vocal and guitar the focus, and

bassist Larry Kline and my job
was to support it and put
coloring in around her. This
was actually my favorite
project, because most of the
projects I get called for are
more heavy-handed stuff. In
this project there were so
many subtleties. And she is
great—a real good person and
really, really talented."

Four tracks on Tom
Cochran's recent record were
also a lot of fun to do,
according to Denny. "I did that
record with Don Gehman,
who is pretty much respon¬
sible for all the records
happening for me. He gave me
my first start, and I've been
working with him for about the
last three years. That project
was a lot of fun because there
was a lot of playing involved
in it, and it was more than just
holding down a groove. They
really wanted to create
interesting parts and different
feels. I would take whatever
groove they had, and suggest
different things to make it feel
better, to make it move
forward better. I'd take
transitions or different parts
like bridges, and make big
changes so that there was
something new and interest¬
ing, like doing fills on two
different snare drums, one
tuned really high and the other
tuned medium or low. We
went for some different sounds
and tried to create some
different moods for the record,
which is something I really like
to do."

In addition to these projects,
Denny has been in the studio
with David Kershenbaum,
working on records for a band
called Show Of Hands, a track
by the band Berlin, and tracks
for the Burns Sisters. Other
projects include Brian Setzer's
latest album, half of the
Dancing Hoods' latest LP, and
producing a band called Rain
On Fire for a TV pilot called
Gang Of Four.

—Robyn Flans

David Owens

David Owens was working as
a staff musician at Knotts Berry
Farm when a friend showed
him an ad in Music Connec¬
tion magazine announcing
auditions for Thomas Dolby.

"That night I put a tape
together, thinking, 'Boy, that
would be nice,' but I didn't
think I had a chance in the
world," David confesses. "But
about three weeks later, I got a
call to audition. I didn't feel
real good about that first
audition, though. At the
second audition, Thomas
stopped me and said, 'You're
not playing any fills' and I
said, 'Well, I'm just trying to
make it groove,' because it
certainly wasn't grooving. He
called me a third time and set
me up with bass player Terry
Jackson, who got the job. He
talked to me afterwards and
said, 'We like your playing,
and we're pretty sure we're
going to use you, but we still
have more people to hear.' By
the fourth time I went in I
figured he wouldn't have
called me back unless he was
pretty sure, and we started
rehearsals after that."

Even though it seemed that
the auditions didn't go that
well, David says he probably
got the gig because, "I wasn't
overplaying. In fact, I was just
playing the basics. I didn't go
in there and try to show chops
at all, because I figured
enough guys in L.A. could do
that. And under the circum¬
stances, that wouldn't have
worked anyway, so I went in
and played the feels as best I
could. He told me after the
second audition that my main
competition was Lou Molino,
who I had auditioned against
years back in Cock Robin. The
two of us play completely
different, though, and Thomas
just had to make up his mind
what sort of player he wanted,

I suppose.

"Thomas is looking for
someone who doesn't ap¬
proach the kit incredibly con¬
ventionally, although I'm not
that unconventional. Some¬
times he would actually toy
with me. I'd have my sample-
setup to the left, and he would
have me put different sounds
on different pads and play
something with my left hand,
then he'd say, 'Now do that
with your right hand,' and
he'd kind of mess with me and
work with me almost like he
was programming on his
Fairlight, only he was using
me."

The band rehearsed for
seven weeks, played some
local clubs, and then tracked
for two weeks. Six months
later, as the record neared
completion, David went back
into the studio to do overdubs.
"Thomas really spends quite a
bit of time in the studio, and
he's very relaxed. Bill Bottrell
was the best engineer I've ever
worked with; there was no
pressure, and he was really
helpful and encouraging. It
was a great atmosphere to
work in."

After the release of the
album, titled Aliens Ate My
Buick, the band did some
dates in England and went on
the road for another month.
Currently, David is just trying
to keep himself busy, some¬
thing he doesn't seem to have
too much trouble doing. He
works twice a week at Bill
Medley's The Hop, doing a
'50s and '60s show called
Rock Around The Clock —"a
lot of good musicians and a
high-energy fast-paced hour-
and-a-half show." In
addition, he does The
British Invasion Show,
works with a band called
Private Eye in Orange
County—doing R&B,
reggae, and rock in
clubs—does casuals, and
still subs down at Knotts.
He even does a fair
amount of jingles as well,
for such products as Chief
Auto Parts, McDonalds,
Toyota, and Ralph's
Market. Even with all that
activity, David says he
would still like to do more
recording.

—Robyn Flans

MODERN DRUMMER

IpS wood is the best
dsat Regal liphmi
'best ever since they
ticks over 30 rears 3C

than solid, tmdmhte ft Ammm hickory Hand-
selecting means the {oiks at Regal Ftp make sm
that oniy the choicest wood ends up as Regal Tips.
The result is that no after stick taels as great, stays
as straight or lasts as tong.

■fid no other stick ernes in as wide a selec¬
tion of mod and nylon tip models in natural
wood finishes or brilliant colors, either. That's
why more drummers play Regal Tips (tmt
any other drum sticks

o, the mi tlmeyg/plck 0 a
pair of drumsticks just make sure
[ they're Regal Tips 'Cause

me you grab hold of a
\ pair o) Regal Tips you'd
know that you've gotten
a hold cf some realty

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Charly Alberti

Alberti, drummerfor
the enormously
popular Argentine
band Soda Stereo, says
that their influences
aren't quite so easily
gleaned. "Just like
folkloric music, rock
music from any

much of the feeling of the
folkloric music of Northern
Argentina.

In addition to (and perhaps
as a result of) his role as
drummer in such a popular
band, Charly has become the
first Latin rock musician of a
strictly Latin band to be an
endorser for international
percussion companies. Charly
actually took the initiative in
the deals, approaching Remo
when they were recently in
South America and Pro-Mark
and Sabian when he was in
Los Angeles, to include him on
their rosters.

This accomplishment seems
a bit ironic, then, when one
hears that this band from the
most European of South
American countries has no
intentions of remaining a
secret to all except the
Spanish-speaking rock'n' roll
markets. They've already
recorded two of their songs in
English with Lena Lovich, and
hope to put a tour together of
college campuses in the States
next March. And their first
American release, produced
by David Bowie's musical
director (and fellow Argentine)
Carlos Alomar and entitled
Doble Vida (Double Life), will
contain two tracks sung in
English. According to their
record company, CBS Interna¬
tional, Soda Stereo are also the
first Latin American band to
put out a CD, and are the first
band to be interviewed on
MTV's new program, MTV
Internationale.

Though Soda Stereo's songs
avoid topical themes, world
politics have probably had a
profound effect on their rise to
fame. Several years ago,
during the Falkland Islands
confrontations, all English-
language music was banned
from the airwaves. This gave
the hundreds of Argentine
bands waiting in the wings a
crack at the big time with their
own brand of heavily Euro¬
pean-based rock'n' roll. If all
goes as Charly Alberti and
Soda Stereo hope, the sounds
of Latin America may soon
become much more popular to
non-Latin listeners than in the
past, and what they hear might
not sound all that unfamiliar.

—Adam Budofsky

As percussionists, when we
hear about Latin American
music, we tend to think in
terms of congas and cabasas,
sambas and salsas. But at the
moment, the biggest band
south of the border is closer in
spirit to English bands like
Simple Minds than to the
rhythms of Airto. Yet Charly

country, and from any
city within that
country, hasthe
personality of that
place. The music of
Argentina is the tango.
Though we've never
been into tango, it's
something that is
inside of us because
we've been around it
since we were kids.
This is somehow sub¬
consciously expressed; the
spirit of tango is in our music."

Charly goes on to say that
their song "Cuando Pase El
Temblor" ("When The Shaking
Passes") was the most popular
tune on their last tour—which
included huge stadiums in
Chile and Peru, among other
countries—and that it retains

NEWS...

Mike Baird on albums by
Eddie Money, Bill Medley, and
Billy Idol, as well as scattered
tracks on Kenny Loggins'
recent release and a recent
session with Barry Manilow...
Drummers John Hartman and
Michael Hossack and
percussionist Bobby LaKind in
the studio working on a
Doobie Brothers album,
featuring all original members,
after which there are plans for
a worldwide tour...

Paul Garisto is on tour with
Iggy Pop supporting the new
release, Instinct...

Michael Thomas on the road
with the Bellamy Brothers...
Rod Morgenstein can be heard
on Ensoniq Keyboard's
promotional CD with the
Dregs, whom he recently
rejoined forces with to do a
short tour. He is now a
member of a new Atlantic
Records band called Winger,
which he says is in the vein of
Def Leppard, Ratt, and Van
Halen. On a jazzier note, he
and Danny Gottlieb shared
drum responsibilities on
Players' A Dream Come True,
and when one was on drums,
the other played percussion.
Rod also played piano on a
song he wrote called "Crest
Hollow" (with Dave Samuels
on vibes). Dreggs guitarist
Steve Morse's album was
finally released in September
after nearly a year's delay, and
Rod's instructional video
became available at the same
time...

Rick Allen on the road with
Def Leppard...

Josh Frees played on Mickey
Thomas' soundtrack contribu¬
tion, "Dream A Little Dream,"
as well as playing drums on
camera in Teen Witch...

Larrie Londin currently in
Europe with the Everly
Brothers...

Jeff Donovan working with
DwightYoakam...

Rick Gomez touring with Roy
Clark...

Cecil Brooks recently giging
with Houston Person and Etta
Jones, and with Michele
Rosewoman...

Pat Mastelotto doing studio
tracks with XTC.

\t.

WITH DW S 5000 TURBO BASS DRUM PEDALS

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DRUM WQfflKSNDR WC . 2£&? UVEFYCT «i« HEWBUflY PARK. CM1350 «S'«fl-fiS63 f FjVs 4CM»?3&»

CHARLIE BENANTE

Q. I would like to know how to play the beginning of "Indians." Could you write out that intro,
please? Good luck on your next album!

Stan Klecha
Luzerne PA

Q. I think you are a very dedicated musician and the greatest drummer around! I was wondering if
you could show me the three fills in the middle of "Panic," where you play by yourself.

Chris Kelly
Toms River NJ

A. Thanks for the good wishes. Here's the intro to "Indians"; play the single bar shown four times.

MU SEC KEY

Ttfn

rri~n

The next three examples are the fills from "Panic."

JOHN

SANTOS

Q. I have learned much from
your South Of The Border col¬
umns in MD. I'd like to know if
you have written any books on
conga and Latin drumming. If
so, how may I obtain them?

Dick Gratz
Oxford IA

A. Thanks for your appreciation
and interest in my writing. I've
been working on a book for
many years. I've felt many times
that I was near completion, only
to experience delays due to my
travels and activities as a musi¬
cian and instructor. For this rea¬
son, it is difficult to predict when
this book will be available. I
love my work a great deal, and
I really want the book to be
done right, so obviously I'd
rather not rush it. However, it
shouldn't be too long before
publication, and I do feel it will
be worth the wait. In the mean¬
time, I'm grateful for your en¬
couragement.

DENNY CARMASSI

Q. The sounds you achieved on the Rock
Candy sessions are the sounds I love. That
is what music is all about—sounds that
please the heart. I would like to know how
those sounds were achieved, in terms of
mic's used, tuning, size of drums and thick¬
ness of shells, and even what type of set¬
ting the mixer and P.A. might need in order
for me to get similar sounds.

F.A.

Lockport LA

; i

A. The Rock Candy sessions were done at
Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, and most of
the sounds have to do with Ted Temple-
man, who was the producer, and Don
Landy, who was the engineer—two very
talented guys. A lot of the "drum sound" is
really the room sound; that room is real

good for recording live drums. It's a pretty
good-sized room, with cinderblocks from
about half way up the wall, which make
the room very "live." The room was used
to record only the drums in; the guitars and
bass were isolated in other rooms.

I've also worked with guys like Ron Nevi-
son, who produced the Heart records, and
Andy Johns, for whom I just did some work
on a Cinderella record. Both of these gen¬
tlemen worked with Led Zeppelin. What
I've learned from them is that those real
ambient drum sounds are a result of using
the room to amplify the drums. That
doesn't always require a big room;
"big room" does not necessarily trans¬
late as "big drum sound." It could be
a fairly small room, but if it's just
right it will amplify the sound of the
drums, and that's what you want. It
has more to do with the nature and
construction of the room than the
sheer air space. That's how you get
those big, ambient drum sounds.

Another thing that I've learned
from Ron Nevison is that there are a
few ingredients that go into that type
of drum sound. There's the room, as
I've just mentioned. Then there's the tun¬
ing of the drums, and also the player. Ron
says that in order to get a real good drum
sound, the player has to have a good bal¬
ance in the way he or she plays. In other
words, you don't hit one drum harder than
another, you don't hit your cymbals harder

than the rest of the drums, etc.

And when it comes to "miking tips," the
miking techniques used then were basi¬
cally the same as those used now, which
are no great secret: The drums are close-
miked and then the room is miked. One
thing that Ron and Andy both use is two
mic's way up high—maybe 10'or 15' above
the drumkit and slightly to one side. The
mic's are placed fairly close together—only
as far apart as your ears would be. Instead
of a big stereo effect with mic's on either
side of the room, you get the natural stereo
of how you hear with your own two ears.
Mic's placed far apart tend to phase-cancel
each other, anyway.

For the Rock Candy sessions / used just a
basic Ludwig drumkit, with a 26" bass drum,
a 12x15 rack tom, and a 16x18 floor tom.
They were pretty big drums, especially for
the time of those sessions in 1973. They
were the older type of drums—thin plies
and reinforcing rings. As far as shells and
that kind of thing go, I don't really think
they have as much of a bearing on a drum
sound as the tuning does, and there are no
real tuning tips I can give you that you
haven't heard a million times before. It's all
just a matter of making the drums sound as
big and good as they can on their own, and
then further enhancing that sound by re¬
cording them in a good-sounding room
under the control of a talented engineer
and producer.

MODERN DRUMMER

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The Hilite Exclusive comes in black or black diamond lacquer finish wilh gleaming copper hardware.

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VHft 51 ^rtuf&rri
Ffl CufiQil^ HiW J Wi
Tet i5-i|332-*W7

Q. After reading your article, "The World Of Drum Corps," in the
August '88 issue, I was surprised to discover that there are all¬
female drum corps. Could you please give me any information I
might need to contact such corps, along with some that are co-ed?

D.G.

Cherry Hill NJ

A. Your best bet for obtaining contact information for the types of
corps you are interested in would be to contact the offices of
Drum Corps International (DCI). You can reach them at 719 South
Main, Lombard, Illinois 60148, (312)495-9866.

Q. I recently bought a Ludwig five-piece set. I believe that the
shells are made of stainless steel, yet the welds are invisible on the
outside. There is no wood whatsoever inside. My question is, what
kind of drums are these? Everyone I ask has never seen them
before.

K.T.

Clifton Park NY

A. We forwarded your question to William F. Ludwig, Jr., who
gave us the following reply: "The shells are in fact made of stain¬
less steel, and the reason that 'the welds are invisible' is because
there are no welds! The shells were drawn and spun from one
piece of stainless steel. Each square of stainless steel was first cut
to a circular shape, and then inserted into a huge hydraulic press.
The press slowly exerted pressure on the steel, shaping it into a
cup. Then the bottom plate was knocked out in another press.
Finally, the two edges of the resulting cylinder were spun on a
lathe to produce the V-shaped bearing edge on each rim.

"Since the material was stainless steel, no polishing, buffing, or
plating was involved. We had arrived at this miracle metal through
a process of evolution in which we had first used brass materials
requiring brazing, welding, and expensive polishing and chrome
plating. These drums proved expensive and heavy in weight. Then,
for several years, we produced a line of aluminum shells. But
these would not accept chrome plating, since chromium and
aluminum are incompatible metals. The finish soon pitted and
sometimes even flaked off, causing expensive returns to our com¬
pany for rework.

"Thus, in 1971, we arrived at stainless steel as the ideal metal
for all-purpose field and outfit drums. Being press-drawn and
spun, the dimensions are exact—far more accurate than wood
shells. However, we had to abandon this fine metal in the late
1970s when the price of stainless steel zoomed out of sight and
the drums could no longer be economically produced."

sharp edges, or other irregularities. These could actually be cutting
into the plastic strips or snare cord, thus setting them up for
breakage when you play.

If these suggestions still do not produce the desired results, you
might consider some non-traditional methods of attaching the
snares to the strainer. A number of hard rock players have had
success using the braided type of shoelace most often used on
sneakers. These are made of strong fabric, and the braided con¬
struction makes them even stronger and difficult to slice through.
They will tend to stretch, and so will require a "break-in"period.
But once they are broken in, they can take a lot of tension and
have proven quite durable under "field conditions." Just make
sure to get a size that can be fitted into your snares and the snare
strainer easily.

Q. I'm having a problem with the material connecting the snares
to the snare strainer on my Cosmic Percussion snare drum. I've
tried both plastic strips and store-bought strainer cord, and have
consistently broken both of them. I'm a heavy hitter, but so are a
lot of other drummers who don't seem to have this problem. Can
you offer any suggestions?

M.B.

Mt. Pleasant Mills PA

A. Most often, the consistent breakage of snare-connecting mate¬
rial is a result of a combination of factors. Obviously, the more
snare tension applied, the greater the strain is on the connecting
material. High snare tension, combined with the added pressure
of the snare side head pressing on the snares under "heavy hitting"
will sometimes be too much for the connecting material. A simple
solution would be to back the snare tension off just a bit to give
the connecting material a bit of "headroom" for those split-second
moments of heavy impact.

Several snare drum manufacturers have begun to use flat straps
made of nylon webbing for snare connections. These tend to resist
breakage better than strips of plastic such as you describe. You
might wish to check into these alternative straps at your local
drum shop. In addition, check the snare strainer itself for burrs,

Q. I'd like some advice on how to get a small band going. I'm in
the 8th grade and live in the middle of nowhere. I have several
musician friends who are very willing, as I am, to do anything it
takes. But we don't know quite where to begin. Can you help us?

M.M.

Colstrip MT

A. The best way to get a band going is to sit down with all the
prospective members and decide what direction you wish to take
as a group—what your goals are. At your age, your best bet might
be to put together the type ofgroup that can play popular music at
a variety of locations and functions. In that way, you will gain
professional experience while you also gain expertise on your
instruments.

There's a lot that goes into putting a band together. Obviously,
you need to have sufficient equipment with which to perform.
This includes each member's personal instrument(s), and some
form ofP.A. system. The type of equipment you are able to use will
depend a great deal on your budget. Expensive equipment is not
required at the outset; you just need what is adequate to fulfill
your needs. As your career improves, so can your equipment.

As you are assembling your technical gear, you also need to be
putting together your repertoire. You mention that you are "in the
middle of nowhere." Music is popular no matter where people
live; the important thing is to know what kind of music is popular,
and to cater to that popularity. Versatility is important, because
you may want to be able to play for a variety of audiences. For
example, since you live in Montana, there's a good chance that
country & western music might be popular in your area — espe¬
cially with adults. Rock is pretty universal among young people,
so you might consider building up a repertoire of C&Wand rock
tunes that are on the charts now, along with a few popular "oldies"
from those styles. If you'd like to expand your horizons even more
and play for weddings, family parties, and organizational func¬
tions (where mixed age groups will be present), you might want to
add a few "standards" for older folks, including a few ethnic tunes,
some Broadway hits, etc. Most of these can be obtained in piano/
vocal songbooks available in most music stores, or on albums that
your parents or your band mates' parents might have. Build up a
repertoire that will allow you to play for at least four hours in any
given style, and you should be ready to accept work in almost any
situation.

If you plan to specialize in one style, such as rock performed
only for younger people, realize that you may be limiting your
potential market for nearby gigs. In that case, plan to expand your
territory as much as possible. Check out schools, clubs, youth
organizations, and other job sources within as large a traveling
area as is practical for you. Again, due to your age, you may be
calling upon parents or older siblings to transport you to and from
your gigs, so find out what your limits are right away. Then do
some research to find out what job possibilities exist within those
limits.

Consider staging your own gigs, too. Many bands located in

modern drummer

as often as possible!! That's
Rolf and that's why I play
You can feel the fire nf Myron's Artsiar
II set with Tama Pro Custom Snare on
Pot Be rater s latest release, "Wide
Awake in Dreamland"
and as the band tours
this fall.

Visit an authorized
Tama dealer near you
and find out how you
can fan same flames of
your nwn

Wine Awake
ip Dream land

It takes a fiety passion and a killer
instinct to drive the Pat Benatai Band.
Second best isn't part of Myron Grom-
hachar's playing standards or his choice
ot equipment.

When we asked him to describe his py¬
rotechnic approach to drams, Myron re¬
sponded: “Aitstar IPs maple shells have
the fundamental tore I'm looking
(or .. a wide open sound with plenty of
lop and batten end. I want drums that
can pro.eei.. . ring true from a whisper
to scream.. .and handle how I want to
play—which is to hit them as hard and

ALL FIRED UP

MYRON

&AKISIARII

Pearl's Prestige Custom 851)0 MLX
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Ottering innovative new features that can be found
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tire Prestige Custom is for todays most discriminating
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modern drummer

Photo by Lissa Wales

CHAD

When one leams that Chad Wackerman landed the gig with Frank
Zappa when he was just 21 years old, it conjurs up definite images.

He must be a whiz kid, you think, with a head full of math equations
to work out the ridiculous rhythms that Zappa writes expressly to
stump his musicians—or so his musicians have been known to say.

But Chad emphasizes more than the need for an incredible technical
prowess; he stresses the necessity of playing many different styles
authentically. He adamantly tries to shed the image that first comes
to mind: that of a fusion drummer.

In preparation for our talk, Chad made a tape of some of the
recordings that he is most proud of. It's obvious from this selection
that he can run the gamut from the complexity of Zappa and Allan
Holdsworth to the simplicity of Colin Hay or Albert Lee. (If you want
to hear Chad at his simplest, check out Barbra Streisand's One
Voice concert on video.)

Chad started playing drums at age six under the expert
tutelage of his father, Charles Wackerman. He went on to take
private lessons from such notables as Chuck Flores and Murray
Spivac, and participated in Stan Kenton's jazz clinics at an early age.

A gig at Disneyland and an association with keyboardist Jim Cox
lead to gigs with Leslie Uggams and Bill Watrous. Executing the
varied styles in those formative years, he says, was a major
contributing factor to his subsequent gigs, although nothing, but
nothing could adequately prepare him for the audition with Zappa,
as he revealed upon his recent return from the road with him just
days before a tour with Allan Holdsworth.

by Robyn Flans

MODERN DRUMMER

RF: I was amused by the story you told in
your last MD interview about the Zappa
audition. The way it came across, it didn't
go too well. You didn't know how to do
some of the things he wanted. So why did
he hire you?

CW: [laughs] Well, no one else knew how
to do those things either. I had a certain
understanding of things like the poly¬
rhythms. Polyrhythms are basically large
groupings of small, odd groupings, but there
were a lot of drummers who didn't know
how to play five 16th notes per quarter
note. So if you couldn't play that, you
couldn't play five 8th notes over two quar¬
ter notes. I, at least, knew how to play
things like quintuplets, which are five per
quarter note, or septuplets, which are seven
per quarter note. So when I saw those
things, I could play them properly, but I
didn't know about the large groupings.
That's kind of the next step.

RF: Did you have to spend a lot of time
trying to understand polyrhythms?

CW: Yes, as soon as I got the gig.

RF: Before that, what did you know about
polyrhythms?

CW: Not much, but if you can understand
a figure like quarter-note triplets, then that's
the concept you use to understand those
larger odd groupings. If you can play five
16th notes per quarter note, and then you
see five 8th notes over two quarter notes,
that's got to be half the speed of the five
16ths—half as many notes in the same
amount of space. So if you think of five
16ths per quarter and play every other one,
that's going to be the rhythm. So I started
figuring out these formulas to get the basic
concept of poly rhythms down. After a while,
it's like anything else; you can hear it. If
you see it on paper, you know exactly what
it's going to be, and you don't have to
count every note out.

RF: So this was after you got the gig?

CW: Yes, once I got the gig, I realized I'd
better start practicing to keep it.

RF: What else did you do after you got the

gig

CW: We started rehearsing the next week,
so I had a week at home with an unbeliev¬

able stack of music and albums. He's put
out 50 albums, and a lot of them are double
albums, so there's so much material to learn.
RF: What was the hardest piece of music
you had to learn, and how did you go
about learning it?

CW: "Mo And Herb's Vacation." That one
took me quite a while. I just continually
practiced it. Even on the road I'd try to
brush up on it. It's a classical piece, and
the clarinet has the melody, which is very,
very bizarre. It has all sorts of polyrhythms
right next to each other, like a 15 next to a
14, each one over two or three beats. It's a
clarinet solo, but the drums are in unison
with the clarinet, so you have to play every
note exact. In fact, we did a version of it
with the London Symphony when we went
to London to do a classical album of Frank's
work, and the orchestra had a terrible time
playing it. I had practiced it and had it
down exactly, but they hadn't seen it for
very long, so their rhythms weren't quite as
accurate. So I actually had to lay out on
parts. After a few years of working on this
piece and getting it down, I
couldn't do it properly, because
they hadn't had enough time
to work it out.

RF: When you first looked at
this piece of music, what spe¬
cifically did you do?

CW: I began to dissect it bar
by bar, just trying to figure out
the subdivisions first, and play¬
ing the notes where they be¬
longed, in the right rhythm and
at the right speed. The next step
was figuring out the sticking,
because there are so many
notes, and certain stickings will
make it easier and make it flow
better. Then the dynamics
come into it along with all the
accents and the final details.
But with this sort of piece, the first thing is
just getting the notes played in the right
places.

RF: How long did you practice that piece?
CW: Frank thought we might do it at first,
so I practiced it a lot, but we ended up not
doing it. I think Vinnie [Colaiuta] and Ed
Mann had done it with the rock band as a
duo. Ed played the melody—the clarinet
part—and Vinnie played the drum part. It's
much harder than "The Black Page."

RF: With music like that, how do you make
it feel good when you have so many notes
to play?

CW: There are so many ways. A lot of
different drummers can play the same mu¬
sic, but they all turn out sounding different.
I always try to be very relaxed about it and
still have feel—even if it's something in 17
or 19. My concept of it is that you have all
these small subdivisions—all these differ¬
ent two's and three's strung along together—
and you find places where you can put
backbeats and make it a long phrase. In¬
stead of making it very, very choppy, I try
to flow over the whole thing, and I know

Vinnie and Terry [Bozzio] do that as well.
RF: Can it become more technique than
feel?

CW: Well, you have to have a lot of tech¬
nique to play that kind of thing. But now a
lot of Frank's stuff is reggae, and it wouldn't
be appropriate to be as flashy or to put all
those subdivisions into the music. With
other tunes, though, that's the way the music
is written, and you're playing that part,
which has to be exact. Then there are the
rock 'n' roll tunes. A lot of it is very open,
where he hasn't specified a part, so we end
up making up our own part—unless he
doesn't like it, and in that case he'll tell us
another part to play. A lot of it is up to us,
and I tend not to be as busy on a lot of
those parts, because the classical sections
are so busy.

When you play with Zappa, a lot of
people assume you're a fusoid drummer
who just plays very busy. I wouldn't want
to be known as a fusion drummer, because
a lot of music that is called "fusion" music,

I don't really care for. Obviously, I couldn't
do a Barbra Streisand gig playing like that.
RF: Streisand's One Voice concert was per¬
haps the most opposite to everything else
you've done, because it was very sparse
playing. What did that gig require of you?
CW: It required playing a part that comple¬
mented her singing, that didn't get in the
way, that was tasty and appropriate. It is
definitely more pedestrian, but there's a
certain flavor that's still me; I'm just play¬
ing a different style of music. With Barbra
Streisand, you're not there to do anything
flashy. If it's a groove tune, you're there just
to supply the groove and set up a nice feel.
It's not your place to come up with any¬
thing wild, too over the top, or too crea¬
tive. You have to have good time and groove
when that's appropriate, and play nice bal¬
lad brushes when that's appropriate, and
be as tasty as you can and support wher¬
ever the music is going. You have to know
when to play a fill, when a chorus is com¬
ing up, and not to overplay on the fills. You
have to play something with enough space,
yet still with enough intensity to build it
when it's supposed to build, and bring it
down when it's supposed to come down.
In a case like that, where you're not play¬
ing too many fills, people are more aware
of them when they do happen, so you have
to be more careful with them. You're there
to fit in with the music and not get in the
way, whereas a gig with Allan or Frank is
much more drum-oriented, so you're much
more in the spotlight. She's so amazing
that I didn't mind doing that at all. It was a
fun experience. It's amazing just being in
the same room and hearing someone who
can sing like that, let alone playing along. I
have the same kind of respect for her that I
have for people like Albert Lee or Allan
Holdsworth, because she's reached such a
high level of accomplishment. She can do
things with her voice that I've never heard
anybody else do.

RF: Back to Zappa—could we take a song

MODERN DRUMMER

and talk about your approach? Take "Zomby
Woof," which you included on the tape.
CW: Well, that's a very old song, so I just
listened to the arrangement.

RF: Did you have creative allowance on
songs that were played before?

CW: I pretty much played what was played
previously. On that tune we pretty much
kept the same feel, though on a lot of them
Frank will change the feel. He might do it
halfway through the tour; he might do it on
stage one night while we're playing. He
gives visual cues to immediately change
styles, and everybody just shifts gears. It
doesn't matter if we've rehearsed it as a
waltz or a swing tune; if he bangs his head,
it means heavy metal. If he twists his hair
like dreadlocks, it means reggae, twisting
both sides means ska, and a baton in the
mouth means to play "Carmen." These cues
can happen any time, so we really have to
keep our eyes on him. We never know
what he's going to go into; the show is
different every night. We rehearsed four
months for this tour, eight hours a day, five

days a week.

RF: How much material did you dis¬
sect in four months?

CW: I think we learned 106 songs—
seriously. Some aren't as long as oth¬
ers. Frank changes the show every
night.

RF: So you might do a certain song
one night and not do it again for how
long?

CW: Maybe three weeks. Most bands
get a set together, go out and do that
set for months and months. It drives
everyone nuts to play the same music
over and over, but Frank changes it
all the time.

RF: Within the songs, how much im¬
provisation goes on?

CW: There's probably more improvi¬
sation between me and the bass player
during the guitar solos. That's the most
open that it gets. Every once in a while
he'll give me a solo or give some of
the horn players solos.

RF : I know you always get a solo with

CHADWACKERMAN'SSETUP

Drumset: Drum Workshop in
custom red finish.

Cymbals: Paiste.

A. 7 x 14 Noble & Cooley wood
snare (or 6 1/2 x 14 or 8 x 14 DW
brass)

B. 9 x 10 rack tom

C. 10 x 12 rack tom

D. 12 x 14 rack tom

E. 14 x 16 floor tom

F. 16 x 18 floor tom

G. 16 x 22 bass drum

1. 13" 602 heavy hi-hats

2. 13" 2002 crash
3.17" 3000 crash

4. 18" Rude China

5. 20" Rude China

6. 20" 3000 ride

7. 15" Rude hi-hats (mounted on a
cable hi-hat stand)

8. 404 top hi-hat cymbal on top of
18" Sound Creation dark crash

9. 18" 3000 thin crash
AA. electronics rack
BB. Roland Octapad
CC. Dauz electronic pads
Hardware: Drum Workshop hi-hat
stand, remote hi-hat stand, and
double pedal with plastic/felt
combination beaters. The set is
supported on a Collarlock rack
system.

Heads: Remo coated Ambassador on snare with a mylar ring for muffling. Remo coated Ambassadors on tops of toms, and clear
Ambassadors underneath with no muffling. Remo clear Ambassador on batter side of bass drum with Ebony Ambassador on front.
Sticks: Vic Firth 58 with wood tip.

Electronics: Dynacord Add-one with disc drive, Akai S-900 sampler, Roland SRV2000 reverb unit, Yamaha SPX 90, two Roland SDE
3000 delay units, Roland Octapad, Dan Dauz pads, Barcus Berry triggers, Akai MIDI patch bay, Switchcraft patch bays, DW trigger
pedals, and three Fostex mixers (eight channels each). May EA miking system with Shure SM 57's on the snare and 10" tom,
Sennheiser 409's on the 12" and 14" toms, and AKG Dll 2's on the 16" tom and the 22" bass drum.

MODERN DRUMMER

"MOST DRUM SOLOS
SOUND LIKE A CIRCUS ACT
TO ME."

Holdsworth. What is
that gig like for a drum¬
mer?

CW: That's very, very
open. Basically, I write
my own parts, and the
bass player writes his
own parts. First, Allan
writes the guitar parts;
then we write parts
that fit with that.

RF: What about
material that was
previously recorded?

CW: It's still pretty
open. Actually, Frank said the same thing
when I joined his band: "Whatever you do,
don't become a Vinnie clone or a Terry
clone. I don't want a replica of someone
I've already had." Allan feels the same way.
Allan's approach is that he likes to get guys
in his band who play the music the way he
wants to hear it, but he never gives us any
instruction at all. We never talk about it;
we just play it.

RF: Take one of the songs you did with him
and analyze that—maybe "Clown."

CW: That's off the latest album, Sand. I
think I was away when he did the basics,
because he did it with a drum machine
first. He took the drum machine away, and
I played over it.

RF: That was probably more confining than
others, so pick a song where you feel good
about the drum part you created.

CW: There's one called "Tokyo Dream,"
which is on the Road Games record. I could
play it for you, but I can't really describe it.
There's a part that matches up to the guitar
part pretty well, where the rhythms and the
punctuations are the same. The accents on
guitar are the same as the drums. I used my
bell cymbals to match his harmonics, my
garbage cymbals to match the bass line,
and a couple of different hi-hats.

RF: How was that piece brought to you?
CW: Allan played the guitar part for us. He
usually has a song section and then a sepa¬
rate section that is the solo section, rather
than using a jazz form ofA-A-B-A, and just
going over and over that. The tune section
is fairly strict rhythmically, which isn't very
typical of him, but then on the solo sec¬
tion, it's much more open and a bitfloatier.

I usually try to hear the music first. I nor¬
mally don't think of drum patterns first. I
try to fit in with what's going on musically.
RF: So that's a lot of improvisation live.
CW: Yes. There's still form to pieces, but
they're very open.

RF: Where did you learn the art of improvi¬
sation?

CW: Through playing jazz. My father's a
jazz drummer, and I started learning from
him. He'd take me to jazz concerts. When
I got a bit older, I played in the school jazz
ensemble and jazz bands and went to a
few Stan Kenton clinics and met Peter
Erskine, who helped me a lot. I just started
listening to jazz a lot and played it through¬
out high school. I got into rock later, during
college.

RF: Who were some of your influences?

CW: There are loads, and a lot of them are
really typical ones—people like Steve Gadd
and Stewart Copeland and David Garibaldi.

I did listen to them for quite a while at one -
time. That was when I was in my transcrip¬
tion mode—when I was trying to write a
lot of things out just to figure out what
other guys were doing, trying to build up a
bigger vocabulary. I was probably 18 or 19
at the time, just trying to figure out why
these people sounded so different.

RF: Take a few key people that you might
have listened to a lot and whose concepts
you might have studied and made part of
who you are.

CW: Peter was a big influence at one time,
because I met him through the Stan Kenton
clinics. We hooked up when he moved out
to L.A. to play with Weather Report. I
wanted to take lessons from him, but be¬
cause he knew I was playing gigs already,
he said that, rather than sitting behind a
drumset, we could spend afternoons talk¬
ing—which we did—and if I had a gig,
he'd go out and hear me.

RF: What did you talk about?

CW: Just concept things. I was playing with
Bill Watrous's big band at the time, and
one of the first things he told me was that I
was playing it much too safe. I was playing
the parts fine, but playing kind of pedes¬
trian fills.

RF: Is that how you felt about it?

CW: I didn't realize it at the time. I was just
trying to set up the band, trying to make it
easier on the horn players, because it's a
hard job playing in a big band. But he was
right.

RF: So how do you
change a safe approach?
CW: That was up to me.
He would throw out
these different ideas, and
then it was up to me. I
didn't really want to learn
licks from anybody, be¬
cause I had done loads
of transcribing off
records, like David
Garibaldi's Tower Of
Power stuff. Before
that, it was Blood, Sweat & Tears records. I
knew it wasn't good to do that too much,
because then you start mimicking people
too much—becoming more of a parrot than
having something original. I did that a lot,
so I felt I got enough from a lot of other
drummers. What I could do was take the
beginning of a fill and change the end of it
by putting something of my own in there,
so it didn't sound like a Tony Williams lick
or a Billy Cobham lick.

RF: Can you actually pinpoint things in
your style and say, "Gee, I got that from so
and so"?

CW: I hope that at this point things like that
aren't obvious for people listening to me,
saying, "Oh, he got that from so and so," or
"That's a Steve Gadd lick." I really desper¬
ately try not to do that. Sure, I've had a lot
of influences, but now I'll listen to what¬
ever type of music and try to get the flavor
of it. I don't transcribe licks anymore. Even
when I practice, I really don't practice that
many patterns.

RF: I guess I keep asking about influences
because there are readers who are wonder¬
ing, "How do I become like Chad Wacker-
man?"

CW: Number one, tell them not to become
Chad Wackerman. Really, that's crucial; that
must be emphasized. I completely under¬
stand the importance of learning things from
other drummers, but you should learn things
from many different drummers. A lot of
people have really analyzed Steve Gadd as
much as they can, and it's as if they're
looking at him through a microscope. You
need to do a bit of that. But if you can do it
with many people, you can have a kind of
comparison, which I think is much health¬
ier. It will also open you up to different
kinds of music. You should check out Lar-
rie Londin as well as Steve Gadd, as well
as Neil Peart, as well as Tony Williams, as
well as the guy playing down at your local
club. Even if you're in a small town, you
should go out and listen to a lot of music.
Even if players aren't so great, you need to
hear them and think, "Why doesn't this

MUSIC KEY

"Tokyo Dream"

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24 MODERN DRUMMER

GUIDE

LISTENERS

Q. For readers who'd like to listen to albums that most represent your drumming, which ones would you recommend?
(Please list in order ofpreference.)

Sand

Atavachron
Metal Fatigue
Road Games
Them Or Us
Looking For Jack
Speechless

You Can't Do That On
Stage Anymore

Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Allan Holdsworth
Frank Zappa
Colin James Hay
Albert Lee
Frank Zappa

Relativity 88561-8152-1

Enigma 73203

Enigma 73222

Warner Bros. 23959

Barking Pumpkin SVBO-74200

CBS 40611

MCA 5693

Rykodisc RCD10081-2

Q. Which records have you listened to the most for inspiration?

Album

Artisl

Drummer

Labd/CaUlog#

Michael Brecker

Jack Dejohnette

MCA Impulse 5980

Bring On The Night

Sting

Omar Hakim

A&M 6705

8:30

Weather Report

Peter Erskine

CBS PC2 36030

Tinsel Town Rebellion

Frank Zappa

Vinnie Colaiuta

Barking Pumpkin PW23/336

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

Alex Acuna

CBS 34418

Synchronicity

The Police

Stewart Copeland

A&M 3735

Four & More

Miles Davis

Tony Williams

Columbia 9253

Heavy Metal Be-Bop

Brecker Brothers

Terry Bozzio

Arista 4185

drummer sound as good as so and so?" It's
really good to hear all levels of players. I
hear quite a few young drummers who are
trying to clone someone like Steve Gadd.
RF: Growing up, it's a real issue learning
how to listen to someone like Tony Wil¬
liams without becoming a clone. How can
it be used to further who you are?

CW: I always tell people to steal from
everybody. Don't concentrate on one per¬
son so much, because you need a huge
musical vocabulary. Then, if you have all
these statements you can make, you can
make up your own musical sentence.

RF: Who else did you steal from?

CW: I listened to Tony Williams a lot. When
I was younger, my dad took me to see
Louie Bellson—big band gigs and things
like that. Also, I took lessons privately when
I was pretty young, so I knew how to read
and write music.

RF: Is that important?

CW: Yes it is. It's helped me a lot.

RF: Were there things you had trouble with
growing up, and if so, how did you work
on them?

CW: When I started taking lessons from
Murray Spivak, that changed the way I
played in a very basic way—in as simple a
way as in making a stroke. The way Mur¬
ray teaches, you really analyze howto make
a stroke, how to play very basic rudiments
without using any extra energy, being very
concise and relaxed with it. Many drum¬
mers do waste a lot of energy; you can
tighten certain muscles so much that it can
actually hurt you. That was a big milestone
for me. With basic strokes, he showed me
how to make an up-stroke, then a down-

stroke for the accent. Instead of coming
from a very low place on the snare drum to
a high place for an accent, he had a way of
doing it that prepared your hand to go way
up, then down for the accent. It was a
much more natural way to do it. That was
his method in a nutshell, dealing with up-
and down-strokes, and it worked with flams,
ruffs, and all the roll strokes.

I really believe that studying privately
sped up my learning process. My other
teacher was Chuck Flores, and he's a fan¬
tastic teacher. At one time I was just going
to Murray for hands and reading snare drum
things—mainly rudiments and basic strokes.
With Chuck I studied drumset. He had me
reading out of books with four lines—a
cymbal line, a snare line, a bass line, and a
hi-hat line—and then going back and
switching all the lines. So you would be
having the bass drum or hi-hat doing more
complex patterns than you normally would.

I was very lucky to have such great teach¬
ers, and they really saw what I needed to
work on. And whenever I did a gig, I would
tape it and bring it in, especially to Chuck,
so he could hear what I was doing drumset-
wise and make suggestions.

RF: How has your formative training had a
bearing on your career?

CW: In various situations, it's been very
helpful. There are a lot more employment
opportunities if you can read. For gigs where
there is no time to rehearse and they need
somebody immediately, you sit down and
read the notes. I used to rely on reading a
bit too much. I wasn't listening quite
enough.

RF: Why is that a problem?

CW: On Frank's gig, you can't read music,
because then you won't be able to see his
visual cues, plus the lights are going on
and off. So you have to memorize things
rather than rely on written music. In a rock
'n' roll situation, where things don't have
to be so specific, reading music is that ex¬
tra step you don't really need. When I
started rehearsing with Frank, I started us¬
ing my ears a lot more.

RF: What did you do when Peter Erskine
told you that you were too safe?

CW: When Peter said that, I knew I had
enough technique where I didn't have to
be playing like that. It didn't necessarily
mean I should play faster or flashier, but
just with a bit stranger fills, a bit more
random. I think it was more the fills I was
concerned with, setting up things, not start¬
ing from the first tom down to the last one,
mixing up all those voices much more.
Also, I started thinking more orchestration-
ally. Instead of learning a bunch of licks
and repeating them, you can think of things
like voices. I keep my tom-toms wide open,
and they're the closest things I have to
melodic notes, so I think of those voices
melodically. I think of other things percus-
sively, like snare drums. Or they could be
brass sounds like trumpets—which cym¬
bals are like—or the bass drum could be
the bottom voice, like how a choir might
play over a brass ensemble or something,
and having things answer back in state¬
ment and answer.

RF: What do you mean by that exactly?
CW: It's like we're having a conversation;
it's like jotting down the rhythms of our
conversation of the different pitches and

MODERN DRUMMER

Allan

SCHVARTZBERG

The

Working

Drummer

"What do you think?" asks Allan
Schwartzberg. "Should we take our chances
here, or should we make a move over to
Eighth Avenue?"

His two musician-friends in the back of
the car who are hitching a ride analyze the
situation and advise the latter. Schwartzberg
nods in agreement and adroitly maneuvers
his Mercedes from Sixth Avenue's far right
lane over into its far left lane like a cool
and seasoned cabbie. Quickly he turns
down a Manhattan sidestreet and escapes
the traffic snarl behind us.

It turns out to have been a smart move.
Eighth Avenue is certainly less congested,
so we make it up to midtown in pretty
good time. The two musicians in the back¬
seat are dropped off at their studio minutes
before their next session. Schwartzberg,
however, won't fare as well. He knows he'll
be a few minutes late for his next session,
thanks to another traffic tie-up. This time
it's on the street where he normally parks.

"What happens when a session player is
late for a session?" I wonder out loud.
Schwartzberg shakes his head. "These days,
you gotta really try to be on time for every
session," he says, as we finally get to the
parking garage. Schwartzberg pulls in,
screeches to a stop, and gives the car keys
to the attendant. I help him lift his gear out
of the car. Together we lug it a half block to
the recording studio. "When you're late,
you hope that you can come up with an
amusing excuse," he says. "Last week, I
told a producer, I'm sorry to be late, but
I'm still not as late as your checks!'"

You'd think the pressures of negotiating
New York traffic, running from session to
session, playing jingles one minute and
album tracks the next, working out parts to
songs you have never heard before, hoping
like hell that what you play is indeed what's

needed to be played, skipping lunch and
sometimes supper too, trying to make it
back to Brooklyn in time to see the wife
and kids before bedtime—you'd think that
after nearly 20 years of all this, Allan
Schwartzberg, one of New York's elite ses¬
sion drummers, would be tired of the heavy
grind.

"I love it," the admitted workaholic and
perfectionist laughs. "I really do. I love being
busy. I love making music and good money.

I like it best when I'm so busy that I don't
even have time to think."

Allan Schwartzberg is busy. There's no
denying that, especially not today. It starts
the night before, like it always does. He
checks in with Registry: three messages,
three sessions. He checks his calendar. A
couple of weeks ago he penciled in a live
date with Maureen McGovern at the Twenty
Twenty Club. Tomorrow his day will be
consumed with work. That makes Allan
Schwartzberg smile.

That night Schwartzberg calls me and
says, "Come into the city tomorrow. It's a
good day. You'll get a good idea of what
I'm about and what this business is about.
Meet me at 10:00 at Hip Pockets Studio on
West 20th Street.

The next day I arrive on time. Allan is
already behind his drumset. He's working
on a fill to add to the Budweiser beer jingle
he and the other musicians hired for the
session will be cutting in a few minutes.
They'll have but an hour to learn it, perfect
it, and record it.

The producer calls the session to order.
He announces some last-second changes.
Then Schwartzberg and the rest of the mu¬
sicians run through the jingle, which will
be sung in Spanish by Jose Feliciano later
on and used to sell beer south of the bor¬
der.

"Again," says the producer. "Let's change
the intro. Two beats of C, then another
beat, and we're off." The session players
do it again. The producer confers with the
engineer in the control room. In the studio,
the guitarists chat and Schwartzberg
stretches.

The producer is back. "One more," he
says. In all, there are close to 20 attempts

"NEW YORK
DRUMMERS
PLAY ON TOP OF
THE CUCK
BECAUSE
THERE'S
MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE
JAMMED INTO
ONE TOWN,
TALENTED,
COMPETITIVE,
NERVOUS,
AND FREEZING
IN THE WINTER.
WE'RE A
PRODUCT OF
OUR

ENVIRONMENT."

by Robert Santelli

MODERN DRUMMER

Photo by Ebet Roberts

to make the jingle right.

But by the end of the hour
the producer has some¬
thing he can take back to
Budweiser and feel good
about.

While the other musi¬
cians pack up, Allan
comes over to me and in¬
troduces himself. "Funny,
you don't look Italian," he
says. "Come on, we've got
to go. We can talk in the
car on the way to my next
session. It's in 30 minutes,
and I've got to drop off
two friends."

RS: You're a very success¬
ful New York session
drummer. You've been
doing this sort of thing for
a long time. Others like
yourself have come and gone. What's your
secret? How do you stay in demand?

AS: It mostly has to do with talent and
knowing how to get along with the right
kinds of people. There are a bunch of mu¬
sicians that are in the bull's-eye. The differ¬
ence between us could boil down to who
brings the best work attitude to the ses¬
sion—who does this producer want to
spend some hours with.

RS: You're in the bull's-eye, no?

AS: Yeah, you could say that. It's been that
way for quite some time.

RS: And how, exactly, did you get there?
Can you be specific?

AS: I have a reputation for caring about my
performance and what my playing sounds
like. I never walk into a session without
that attitude. It's my ego problem that's
working to the producer's advantage. Ev¬
eryone gains by it. The drums are an unbe¬
lievably important instrument. It's the mo¬
tor that runs the beautiful car. If I'm happy
with my drum performance, then the people
who hired me and believe in my abilities
are going to be happy. What makes me
happy is a great performance. It doesn't
have to be a showy type of performance.
Also, I don't care who comes up with what
I play. The music is what's important, and
in the end I'll get credit for it anyway.

RS: Let's go back a bit in time. How did
you get into session work in the first place?
AS: For a long time I was a jazz player. I
used to be the house drummer at a place in
New York called the Half Note. I played
with guys like Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Zoot
Sims. I also went on the road for a little bit
with Stan Getz. I wasn't really having fun,
though. I definitely wasn't making any
money. My bar bills were much more than
I was getting paid. This was 18 years ago. I
used to eat, sleep, and live jazz. All I wanted
to be was a drummer who played like a
combination of Elvin Jones and Tony Wil¬
liams.

RS: You and a lot of other drummers.

AS: That's definitely true. But see, I real¬
ized I wasn't happy, and neither were most

of the other jazzers then. So I left it. At the
time, jazz was going through a severe de¬
pression. No one was listening to that mu¬
sic in, say, 1969 and 1970. It was terrible. I
had to survive somehow. And I wanted
above all to keep playing the drums.

RS: Were you married at the time?

AS: Yeah, but it wasn't to the right girl. It
wasn't the take, if you know what I mean.
But I've since remarried. I'm very happily
married now, with two beautiful, loud kids.
RS: Having a wife and not making any
money must have been tough.

AS: It was. Plus, I just wasn't having any
fun playing jazz.

RS: So what happened? How did you
change gears?

AS: I heard Roger Hawkins' first backbeat
on Aretha Franklin's "Chain, Chain, Chain"
record. Then I heard a James Brown record
called "Got The Feeling." You've got to
understand that I never cared about any
music but jazz back then. Growing up, I
didn't even listen to the Beatles because
their time was all over the place. But when
I heard Aretha and James Brown, well, their
music just went up my spine. What they
sang was as cookin' as anything I had ever
heard. I discovered other acts, like the Me¬
ters. So, basically, I came into contempo¬
rary music through R&B. It was more of a
logical channel for me than to pursue rock
'n' roll, because R&B is more closely asso¬
ciated with jazz.

RS: Was this a gradual or an abrupt transi¬
tion?

AS: It was gradual. It really didn't happen
overnight. But I knew things were coming
along when I played on some of James
Brown's records, and he liked me a lot. It
was a great accomplishment for me to have
The King of Soul think that this Bar Mitz-
vah boy had some, too.

RS: Did you also start to discover rock 'n'
roll at this time?

AS: Yeah. I started hearing and loving the
Beatles the way other people were. I lis¬
tened to a lot of other things, too, like Little
Feat, Led Zep, and Hendrix.

RS: What about record¬
ing and making records
back then? What was
your approach?

AS: First of all, there
was a lot more of it
then—single artists
without bands, and lead
singers wanting to
stretch out without their
regular guys. I felt at
home in the studio. I
loved the control. All
jazz records back then
were one take. Three
hours in the studio, and
you had yourself an
album. I never got into
that concept of record¬
ing. I like the idea of
being able to perfect
what you play. I think
my approach has al¬
ways been the same: trying to find the per¬
fect beat for a particular piece of music. It's
like making records the way composers
write songs.

RS: How did you work your way into steady
session work?

AS: It was just like today; you have to know
the right people and they have to love you.
You either have to have an uncle who owns
a recording studio and who can introduce
you to all those people you need to know,
or you have to be an amazing player who
can cover all kinds of music so well that
producers are practically forced to hire you.
Those were the only two ways to break
into the studio back then, and it's the same
way now.

A bass player named Don Payne gave
me a shot at doing jingles. The first one I
ever did was for Kent cigarettes. I went into
the studio and worked as hard as I could so
that what I came up with sounded special.

I tuned the drums before the session, which
nobody was doing then. Studio guys had a
tendency to get a bit jaded. They usually
walked in and played the drums just the
way they found them. In New York, every
studio has its own set. But I didn't like the
way the drums sounded, so I tuned them.
Everyone was pretty surprised by this. Then,
I'd always ask for another take if I didn't
think the producer got my best perform¬
ance. I'd always go into the control room
and listen to the playback, which wasn't
common for musicians to do in those days.

I really cared. Every little dinky demo I did,
I cared about. It turned out to be to my
benefit. Word got around. I was a new
face, a new guy, and producers were look¬
ing for new faces. Producers are still al¬
ways looking for new faces, which is a
bitch. That's why I always feel the pressure
of staying one step ahead of everyone in
the business.

RS: You seem to thrive on pressure.

AS: Yeah, but I'm not so sure it's healthy. I
mean, I did 30 sessions in a week on a
number of occasions during the late '70s
and early '80s. Talk about pressure—I feel

MODERN DRUMMER

L 1

1 S T E N 1

R S ’ G l

J 1

Q. For readers who'd like to listen to albums that most represent your drumming, which ones would you recommend?

Peter Gabriel
Flesh And Blood
Crash Landing
Goes To Hell
Reality

Gene Simmons
NY Cats Direct
Parting Should Be Painless
Nils Lofgren

Peter Gabriel
Roxy Music
Jimi Hendrix
Alice Cooper
James Brown
Gene Simmons
John Tropea
Roger Daltry
Nils Lofgren

Atco 36147
Atco32102
Reprise 2204
Warner Bros. 2896
Polydor (Out of print)
Casablanca 826239
DMP CD-453
Atlantic 80128
A&M4756

Q. Which records have you listened to the most for inspiration?

Various

John Coltrane
Miles Davis

Various
Various
Various
Look A Py Py

Living In The Material World

Aretha Franklin
James Brown
Bill Evans
The Meters
George Harrison

Elvin Jones
Tony Williams/
Philly Joe Jones
Bernard Purdie et al
Various
Various

Zigaboo Modeliste
Jim Keltner

Various

Various
Various
Various
Josie 4011
Capitol 16216

Photo by Steven Ross

okay now, but I'm not sure I want to see
the X-rays.

RS: How did you come up with a steady
stream of good ideas and quality perform¬
ances with that kind of workload?

AS: There were some tough spots. There
are some people who still don't like me
because of the way I was in those days. I
got involved with drugs, and I did a lot of
drinking. I was always on the edge. But I
had to deal with the pressure somehow.
Fortunately, I learned before it was too late
that those substances turn you into an ag¬
gressive asshole with too many suggestions.
RS: So you've given up drugs and alcohol?
AS: With the exception of an occasional
beer, yes. I stay away from both booze and
drugs. They could have and would have
destroyed my career like they destroyed
the careers of so many other studio musi¬
cians. I used to call what I took "Einstein";
now I call it "losing powder." I didn't want
to lose, so I just stopped using drugs cold. I
haven't touched the stuff since. And I won't,
because I'm really frightened of losing what
it took me so long to get.

RS: What about the business end of being a
session musician? Is it as lucrative as many
musicians say it is?

AS: It's not as lucrative as it used to be,
because there's not the volume there used
to be. But there are a bunch of us who are
still cranking out a nice living. I'm not sure
it compares to what, say, the drummer in
Bon Jovi's band is making, especially if he
has a piece of the band and a good ac¬
countant. The money to be made in the
studio scene is in the writing end of it.
Anyone who tells you the studio scene is
like it was in the late '70s and early '80s is

not telling you the truth. It's
the technology that's cutting
into things, and it's the quality
of drumming that you hear
from young drummers these
days. I used to make a lot of
money drumming for self-con¬
tained bands like Alice Coo¬
per and Kiss when it came time
for them to make a record.

RS: You haven't just done stu¬
dio work. I know you've
toured with some name artists
in the past.

AS: I went on the road with
Peter Gabriel, Mountain, B.J.

Thomas, Pat Travers, and a few
others.

RS: Is there a reason why you haven't done
more touring?

AS: I never thought I'd enjoy playing the
same songs every night. But lately I've been
itching to go on the road. Every so often it's
a refreshing experience. At one time I even
thought I might want to join a full-time
working band. I seriously thought about
joining Journey a couple of years ago. This
is a funny story. The band flew me out to
California to audition. I was flattered that
they did that. Later, I found out there were
50 drummers auditioning before me as well
as after me. Anyway, I practiced for about a
week before the audition. I learned all
Journey's songs. At the audition I played as
hard as I could for the first tune. I'm a big
believer in first impressions. Well, the band
liked what they heard. A couple of guys
said, "Hey, that was pretty good. Let's do it
again." I said, "Wait," huffing and puffing.
"Whoa, let's just take a minute." You could

see my heart pounding through my shirt.
Well, that was it for me. They didn't want
me to die right there at the audition.

After that, I knew I was crazy to think I
could play 38 songs a night with a band
like Journey. Session work is the right kind
of work for me. I belong in the recording
studio. When I get behind a good set of
drums, and I look around at all of the great
musicians I'm playing with, I feel comfort¬
able, satisfied, and at home.

It is 11:45 A.M., and we are in the mid¬
town Manhattan office building where
Crushing Enterprises is located. Allan is here
to do some drum programming and over¬
dubbing for a Pillsbury project.

After a few hellos, Schwartzberg is
handed the music for the jingle. He steps
into one of the recording cubicles, which
seems to have been a broom closet before
the office space on the floor was made into

fmKruiirtf iM\ pjt£i‘ 53"

MODERN DRUMMER

—

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MODERN DRUMMER

Photo bv Tom Copi

P romptly at noon one bright, warm day this past summer,
Lionel Hampton burst out of the bedroom of his Lincoln
Center apartment. He looked around his living room,
with that great view of Manhattan, and gave me a big smile.

But he seemed preoccupied. "Hey Gates," he said. "I've got this
tune on my mind. Ideas began coming to me a little while ago.
And I have to work them out."

Hamp moved over to the vibes, set up near the couch. He tried
a phrase, then another, experimenting with various rhythms. Pro¬
gressively, a little composition took shape, as he continued to add
and subtract from it. After about five minutes, he seemed satisfied,
the piece having been completed. He sat down and began to talk:

"I had to do that, man. If I had just done the interview without
going to the vibes first, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate.
By getting my ideas together, I straightened out what was on my
mind, and I feel better. My little tune needs some more work. But
now I know what to do with it.

"Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating," he
said. "I've always been crazy about playing. Every day I look for¬
ward to getting with my instruments, trying new things. Playing
gives me as much good feeling now as it did when I was a bitty
kid. I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting
better—on drums, vibes, and piano."

Hamp—an intense, happy man—has no identity problems. From
the time he was "a bitty kid," he knew what he wanted. Hamp was
a drummer as far back as he can remember. He initially banged
around his mother's kitchen, creating patterns on pots and pans.
Sometimes he'd use the rungs of a chair as drumsticks and the bot¬
tom of a wooden chair as his drum. Until he got his first drum, he
used whatever he had at his disposal.

Hamp was born 80 years ago in Louisville, Kentucky. His family

encouraged his musical inclinations, but only his father, a promis¬
ing pianist who was killed during World War I, was deeply musi¬
cal. He lived briefly in Birmingham, Alabama, with his mother and
her parents, Richard and Lavina Morgan, after his father passed
away. When his grandfather, a fireman on the Louisville & Nash¬
ville Railroad, was transferred to Chicago, the family picked up
stakes and moved north. The youngster was surrounded by warmth;
his mother and grandparents wanted only the best for him. Be¬
cause his kin didn't approve of the rowdy atmosphere in the
Chicago public schools, he was sent to Holy Rosary Academy in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, not far from Chicago.

"That's where I met Sister Peters, a Dominican nun, who was a
super drum teacher," Hamp pointed out. "She taught me the 26
drum rudiments and how to read music. She wasn't easy. If I didn't
do the right things, she'd take my heavy marching-band sticks and
beat me on the knuckles, or work me over with the long, pointed
shoes she wore. The Sister couldn't take it when her students were
lazy or careless.

"Because of her, I became a drummer who could really play the
instrument. In addition to being a strict disciplinarian, she realized
she had to give me a little room to be myself, so Sister allowed me
to improvise during my lessons. She'd say, 'First you play the rudi¬
ments the way they're written, then you can do them your own
way.' By doing this, I learned to play all the variations of the
rudiments. Each one became second nature to me. So when I
started to play with other musicians, I could execute them in a
very natural way. I was lucky; the Sister gave me some good
direction.

"Jimmy Bertrand was another terrific teacher," Hamp continued.
"When I was coming along in the 1920s, he could be seen and
heard with the Erskine Tate Band at the Vendome Theater in
Chicago. We kids went to the theater all the time to dig him. A
great showman, great at everything when it came to percussion,
Bertrand really knew his job. He swung the rudiments and had a
fantastic beat. All of us fought to get seats down front so we could
see how he worked.

"Bertrand had a lot of drums and cymbals; he used temple
blocks and timpani and played xylophone, too. Everyone inter¬
ested in drums, particularly in the Chicago area, admired him.

"I never actually studied with Bertrand," he noted. "But I found
out where he lived and made an appointment to visit him. Ber¬
trand didn't have time to give me lessons because he was so busy.
But he showed me some new ways to play paradiddles and howto
play scales on the xylophone. Jimmy was a real musician. That's
rare in any era. He could read very well and adapt to any sort of
music. Tate was into all styles; he had to be. When an orchestra
was in residence at a major theater, it had to play everything.
There was such a variety of acts that worked at the Vendome. And
the shows changed quite frequently.

"That's why Tate had great musicians like Bertrand, pianistTeddy
Weatherford, who later worked in China, and Stomp Evans, a little
guy who used to stand on a box when he took his solos on
baritone saxophone, and Louis Armstrong—need I say more?"

Drummers remained on Hampton's mind as he spoke about
some other early influences. "There was a guy known as 'Snags.'
His real name was Clifford Jones. What a tremendous showman!
He was the one who flipped sticks up in the air and caught them
without missing a beat."

The late Barney Bigard, the great New Orleans clarinetist, de¬
scribed Snags in his book With Louis And The Duke (Oxford
University Press): "He had only two teeth, and so the people called
him 'Snags'....He would put the sticks under his arms, through his
teeth, bang them on the floor, and catch them. He was a sensa¬
tion."

"Then there was Jasper Taylor, with the Dave Peyton Orchestra,"
continued Hamp. "The orchestra performed at another big place

MODERN DRUMMER

in Chicago, the Grand Theater. Taylor's specialty was the wash¬
board. He could get to audiences by doing some impossible things
on the 'board. But, like Bertrand, he was a complete musician.
Taylor didn't have any trouble reading music and played all the
percussion instruments. As I said, you had to know in order to play
with those bands."

Studying became important to Hampton early on. He viewed it
as the means to becoming the sort of player he admired. After
moving to another private parochial school in Chicago when the
Holy Rosary Academy was relocated, he found an organization
that was to be a key source of his musical education.

"One day, while I was walking home from St. Monica's Gram¬
mar School—the place I attended after coming back to Chicago—I
heard some music coming out of a mansion about a block away
from school. This large building had been given to the newsboys
of the Chicago Defender, a black newspaper, by Madame Schu-
mann-Heink, the great opera singer. I found out that the music was
being played by a band of newsboys, with the instruments pro¬
vided by Robert Abbott, the publisher of the paper. The great thing
about this deal was that you could get free lessons and play in the
Chicago Defender Newspaper Boys Band if you signed up as a
newsboy. I got involved right away!

"When I joined the band, there wasn't a position open on
drums. So I carried the bass drum during street parades and con¬
certs in the park, which were our key activities. I did that for
several weeks, then the bass drummer left and I took his place. I
was very ambitious. Before long, I was noticed and became snare
drummer in the band.

"Major N. Clark Smith, our teacher and the band's director, was
a fine musician who knew how to communicate with young
people," Hamp explained. "He had a staff of eight teachers and
kept us very busy. I got to the mansion at 3:30 in the afternoon,
right after school, Monday through Thursday. I practiced, took my
lessons, and played with the band and the concert orchestra as
well.

"It was great for a youngster trying to find his way in music.
There I was at 13, getting all this wonderful training.

Major Smith wanted his students to really know music.

One day, after giving me a drum lesson, he said, 'Any¬
one who plays drums should know harmony.'A gradu¬
ate of a great music school in Heidelberg, Germany,

Major Smith became my professor in solfeggio har¬
mony. After a while, I began playing xylophone and
timpani, and developed my reading to the point where
I could handle difficult concert music—overtures and
things like that.

"I was a step ahead of the other drummers because
of the training I had received from Sister Peters.

With that background and what I learned from
Major Smith, I really came out ahead. They
gave me the tools I needed to become a
well-rounded percussionist."

During the three years Hampton
studied music and played with the
Chicago Defender Newsboys, he lis¬
tened to recordings, trying to develop
a jazz concept. "My idol was Louis
Armstrong," he said. "I took his so¬
los off records, note for note, and
played them on the bells or the xy¬
lophone. I wanted to understand
how he thought and put things to¬
gether. Once I grasped his ideas,
and later those of people like Cole¬
man Hawkins and Benny Carter and
a few others, I began to get my own

thing going."

Hampton worked in and around Chicago as a drummer—on-
the-job training that would help him progress. One of the musi¬
cians he gigged with was saxophonist Les Hite, who would later
play an important role in his career. By this time Hamp had his
own drumset, "with a light inside the bass drum, temple blocks—
the whole thing," he recalled. "When I was about 16, I
left town for the first time, with Detroit Shannon's band.
We got stranded somewhere. But it didn't matter to
me. I would have gone with any band, just as long
as I could play drums. I was beginning to play
well. My time was firm; I knew how to use
my foot and make accents. Older mu¬
sicians liked to work with me be¬
cause I made them feel good."

In 1927, at 19, Hampton
moved to California with his
aunt, who got a job in a motion-
picture studio. He had been
asked to come to the Coast by
Les Hite; soon he was playing
with a series of bands that either
featured Hite or were led by him.

"My first gig on the Coast was
with the Reb Spikes band,"
Hamp recalled. "I had no
trouble with the band's charts
because I was a good reader
and could make the arrange¬
ments swing. I also played with
Curtis Mosby's group. He was a
drummer, too. But I persuaded
him to be just the front man
while I played drums.

MODERN DRUMMER

ronlinuiHf on v fuff

Photos on this page courtesy Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University

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Linear

Drumming

by Gary Chaffee
Transcribed by Lyman Mulkey

MUSIC KEY

FT j

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There are basically three ways of creating time
feels in rock drumming. The most common way is
through the use of cymbal ostinatos. The term
"ostinato" means "a repeated rhythm," so with
cymbal rhythms the most common would be quar¬
ters, 8ths, or 16th notes. This method has been
around for a long time, and the majority of time
feels today are still based on cymbal ostinatos.

When you play a cymbal ostinato using 8th notes, a lot of the
notes are being played by more than one voice. About half of the
notes in the following example are played together. This happens
in all cymbal ostinatos, because one voice is always playing.
When two voices strike at the same time, we call it layering.

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Linear Phrases

There are two newer ways of playing time besides layering.
These are called linear phrases and sticking phrases. "Linear"
means "resembling a line." When you play linear time, you're
playing a single line of notes broken up between various parts of
the drumset. There are no points where two voices strike at the
same time.

In linear phrasing there are basically six types: The first is The 8
(six notes in the hands, two with the foot):

,■

There is also The 6 (four notes in the hands, two with the foot):
L

R L

lL JL

In addition, there are also three odd groupings—The 3 (two notes
in the hands, one with the foot):

The 5 (four notes in the hands, one with the foot):
R L R L

and The 7 (six notes in the hands, one with the foot):

R L R L R L

Now that we have looked at the basic patterns, let's concentrate
on The 8. The first thing we can do is make a time feel out of it by
moving the right hand to the hi-hat.

Rock feels generally contain accents. We'll put accents into the
sticking by placing a left hand accent on the "ah" of beats 1 and 3.

If we want a more common 2 and 4 accent, we must bring the
right hand over to the snare drum.

and The 4 (two notes in the hands, two with the foot):

R i

All of the above examples are similar in that they're all even, they
all end with two bass drum notes, and they all use single sticking.

Once you get the basic accent line down, there are a few things
you can do to color the phrases and make them more interesting.
One thing would be to divide any of the notes into 32nds. Here
they are on the first and third beats of the phrase.

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MODERN DRUMMER

Here's an extended example using this technique.

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You can also open the hi-hat to achieve a longer sound.

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Here's a four-bar example using 32nd notes, accents, and open hi-
hat

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Another one of the exciting things happening today is the play¬
ing of more time feels using the full set (including toms), as
opposed to cymbals only. Linear drumming works very well for
doing that.

When you work on linear lines, don't be satisfied with just
doing them one way. Vary them to develop flexibility around the
set, and make music with the phrases.

Sticking Phrases

Another way of playing time is with varied stickings. One of the
most common is a variation of the paradiddle.

Again, play the right hand on the hi-hat and the left hand on the
snare drum.

It's also good to work on bass drum phrasing along with the new
linear sticking pattern.

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Linear phrasing doesn't always work well for fast time playing.
It's better for medium to slow tempos. As you can see, the phrases
are more syncopated, so they're good for funk time playing. If you
want to use them in a rock groove, you'll need to play shorter
versions, less of them, and mix them into the groove. Here's an
example:

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Now, add accents, open hi-hat, and toms.

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Another thing you can try is playing the stickings in different
ways on the set. The next example has the same sticking pattern
(RLLR LRRL), with the right hand on the ride cymbal bell.

Now, keeping the right hand on the cymbal bell, put all of the

unaccented left-hand notes on the hi-hat.

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Sticking variations can also be used for special feels like the
half-time/double-time feel. Here's a 32nd-note pattern using a
RLRR LLRR sticking.

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with one bass drum added.

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There are many ways to apply linear concepts in time function¬
ing situations. Listen closely to players like Steve Smith, Vinnie
Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, Omar Hakim, Jeff Porcaro, and others, to
clearly hear this exciting approach in action.

MODERN DRUMMER

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by Roy Bums

Trusting Your Own Ideas

One of my students recently attended a
clinic/concert by one of the best young
professional drummers playing today. The
student, who is only 16, said, "After hear¬
ing the clinic/concert, I became depressed."
"Why is that?" I asked. "Nothing I play
sounds good to me," he replied. "I don't
like my ideas." I responded, "Don't you
think you're being a little hard on your¬
self?" He said, "Well, maybe, but every¬
thing he played sounded so good that I
don't sound good to myself anymore."
"Give yourself a little time, " I suggested.
"You're only 16. Allow time for you and
your ideas to develop. Everyone needs time
and experience in order to grow musically."

One of the reasons for my student's re¬
sponse is that when you are young and
hear someone who is great, it's a powerful
experience that makes a deep and lasting
impression. For example, when I was 16, I
heard Louie Bellson and Buddy Rich for
the first time. I was completely blown away.
These guys were so good that I felt like
giving up. However, after 24 hours, I

couldn't wait to get to the drums and try to
do some of the things that I had seen and
heard. Depression had turned into inspira¬
tion. That concert, in my memory, inspires
me to this day.

One of the reasons that other players
sound so good to us is not just that they are
more accomplished. It's because you don't
know what to expect. You don't know what
the drummer in question is going to play
next. You're on the edge of your seat, an¬
ticipating, enjoying, and being totally
caught up in the music. Everything is a
surprise—especially when you are just 16.

The other impressive factor for my stu¬
dent was the group that accompanied the
drummer in question. They were top-notch
players with a lot of performing experi¬
ence. They added even more power to the
impression being generated by the drum¬
mer. The whole musical effect was power¬
ful, and situations like this make for an
intense and lasting impression.

Most of us have to practice and perfect
our ideas until we develop enough control

KcjT

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to play them naturally and with feeling.
After doing this for years, you can use your
ideas spontaneously to create new ones.
This takes time and experience. You need
to learn what is appropriate for a particular
fill or song and what to leave out. When
you play just what is needed, your playing
will demonstrate maturity and feeling.

Early in my career, I learned some great
lessons while recording. Ideas that I thought
would sound great on tape really did not
sound good at all. Other ideas that I had
sort of taken for granted sounded much,
much better than I thought they would.
From these experiences, I learned that while
you are playing, it is difficult to be objec¬
tive about how you really sound. This is
why recording can be such hard work. You
have to concentrate and listen. That's why
you often hear the comment in the studio,
"Can we hear that back?" After listening to
the track, you very often will want to make
adjustments in your playing.

This is one reason that I recommend tap¬
ing practice sessions, rehearsals, club gigs,
and concerts. Listening objectively to what
you (and the other members of the group)
have played is a great way to learn. You
can hear it as someone else would hear it.
This, as you can imagine, is almost impos¬
sible to do while you are performing. Learn¬
ing to listen to yourself objectively is a key
to improving.

When you are young and want to do
well, you have high hopes. As you im¬
prove, you begin to think, "I am pretty
good." Your view of yourself and your play¬
ing may not be quite accurate. Conse¬
quently, when you encounter a great, ex¬
perienced drummer, it does deflate your
ego a little. However, this can also be posi¬
tive, because it helps to give you the per¬
spective to determine where you really
stand. All—or at least most—of us need an
attitude adjustment every now and then to
help keep our perspective of ourselves
realistic.

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MODERN DRUMMER

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Odd Rhythms And Meters In
TV And Film Cues

Movie and TV film cues never follow a rhythmic pattern. This is
because the composer is concerned with catching the action on
the screen, or at least scoring for the mood of the film, and cannot
always conform to even amounts of bars. In some cases, the
composer may choose to use odd time signatures, or if in 4/4 time,
the measures don't always come out in groups of two, four, six,
eight, etc.

Look at cue M14 of the television show Beauty And The Beast.
Note that bars 7 through 16 and 33 through 44 are in 4/4, but bars
17 through 28 are in 12/8. It seems a bit confusing when sight
reading, and it takes extra caution when playing to see where the
time changes. Don Davis was the composer on this cue, and Frank
Capp, one of L.A.'s great drummers, was the contractor. Being a
contractor is a full-time job, but Frank always asks me if I need any
help in the percussion section. Well, I waited until after the one
(and only) run-through, and as the red light went on to record, I
called Frank to come and play the snare drum part. He did, and
"ate it up," as we say! Try sight reading this cue at 120 on a
metronome (which is a twelve-frame click in terms of film meter)
and see if you can "eat it up" as well!

Note that in bar 63 it says to scrape the tarn tarn with a coin; we
used a triangle beater instead. I am submitting cue #1 from Beauty
And The Beast, also written by Don Davis, to show you an inter¬

esting mallet part. Notice the four x's in bar 27: These are four free
clicks at the new tempo leading into bar 28.

The next three cues are movie cues from the film Inner Space,
and were written by Jerry Goldsmith. Needless to say, Jerry is one
of the greatest writers for percussionists, and he also has made
odd-time meters one of his trademarks for movie writing.

In cue R4 P4, the time signatures switch from 4/4 to 3/4 to 3/8 to
3/16 etc. When using a click track in a case like this, the click
should be set to the lowest common denominator of the different
time signatures, which in this case is the 16th note. This means
that there would be four clicks to every quarter note in 4/4 meter,
two clicks to every 8th note in 3/8 meter, and one click to every
16th in 3/16 meter. However, on Inner Space, Jerry conducted this
with no clicks at all. It behooves all percussionists to get as much
experience as possible in following a conductor, especially in odd
meters, since this does come up often in movie and TV cues.

In cue 8/6—9/1, we used an 8th-note click as the basis for the
basic pulse. In cue R7 PS, there is a nice xylo passage in 5/4 time.

I hope these cues can give you some idea of what parts are like
for the percussion section in film writing. I only wish you could
hear it all with the full orchestra. It's great to hear, and better yet to
play!

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by Peter Erskine

"Erskoman"

MUSIC KEY

My recent columns have dealt with improvisa¬
tion and ethnic beat variations. I would like to
devote this month's article to a particular ex¬
pansion and merging of those two themes, draw¬
ing from my latest recording, Motion Poet
(Denon compact disk). The first tune on the
album is entitled "Erskoman" (composed by
me, and arranged by Vince Mendoza). It starts
with a calypso-like bass line, played by Will Lee. The bass and
drum parts look like this:

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The bass drum and cross-stick snare parts are basic and repeti¬
tive. They form the body of the groove. The syncopated hi-hat
creates an interesting counter-rhythm, and makes an otherwise
solid and simple beat dance along. As the melody, which is itself
syncopated (and quirky), enters and develops, the hi-hat part be¬
comes more "regular"

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The arrangement produces more and more horn and guitar
counter-lines, so by necessitythe drum part stays simple and solid.
A groove is great fun to play, and I think that we can agree that—
by "jazz fusion" standards, keeping my byline in mind—the above
groove is about as basic as one can get. This groove has a chance
to fly a little more when I go from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal.
The hi-hat now plays in a double-time manner, thus giving the
music another subtle dimension (i.e., another level of time).

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One advantage of the drummer being the composer of a tune is
that the composer doesn't need to instruct the drummer as to how
the drum part should go! Also, the drum ego is sublimated, in part,
by the composition's unfolding and development. However, I do
get to have some real drum fun for eight bars—a solo! Motivically,
I draw from the spirit and the ensemble figures of the tune.

It is a drum solo, but you'll notice that there isn't a lot of ink
being used in the transcription. As I improvised, I was just trying to
compose some more of the tune, then and there. I didn't want to
just play some flashy licks (I don't know too many, anyway) or
play something else that my hands just "knew." The solo is, I hope,
unique, musical, and complementary to the rest of the music.

MODERN DRUMMER

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I hope that you enjoy "Erskoman" and the rest of the music on Motion Poet. In my next article, I'll share some more rhythms and
interpretations from the album and from my current musical lexicon.

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intonations, and having that all over the
drumset. It's like thinking of things as a
voice instead of just keeping the bass drum
on four beats, or every time you hit a cym¬
bal, having to hit a bass drum with it. I'll
do things like hit a cymbal by itself and let
the tone of the cymbal ring out where it's
more obvious. If you hit a cymbal by itself,
it's isolated, and nothing is covered up by
any other instrument. If it's a large crash
cymbal, you can do that, or if you have a
small splash cymbal or quick-sounding
cymbals, you can play rhythms on them. If
you play those kinds of rhythms on a large
cymbal that is very sustaining, it'll just wash
out. I like things to speak out individually.
It's kind of like a lot of people talking at
once, and you can think of people shout¬
ing at each other or whispering. I do that a
lot when I'm soloing. I try to start with
some sort of theme and try to make it a bit
more musical, because I hate most drum
solos. I think most drum solos are hard to
listen to. Though Peter Erskine plays amaz¬
ingly beautiful solos that are melodic. Max
Roach also does that, and there are other
drummers as well. But most drum solos
sound like a circus act to me.

RF: Do you think your background on vio¬
lin and viola had any kind of melodic ef¬
fect on you?

CW: [laughs] I don't know; it may have.
RF: You laughed when I brought it up. Why?
CW: Because I put that away after high
school. But yes, it probably did, and I think
it made my reading a bit more musical,
too. I think the other thing it did for me was
that it made me realize what other instru¬
mentalists have to go through. A lot of drum¬
mers just get so wrapped up in drums—
especially younger drummers. Younger
drummers are learning and trying to get a
big vocabulary together to have something
to say, and often they don't think rhythm
section-wise to begin with, let alone what
other people have to go through—like a
sax player having to wet a reed and stick it
on his instrument and blow through this
plumbing to try to get notes out. Playing

violin kind of showed me what violinists
have to go through, and that, yes, they
have reason to get upset if they can't hear
themselves. Drums are a very powerful,
loud instrument, so I think I can under¬
stand things a little more from a string
player's point of view.

RF: What about that concept of rhythm
section playing as opposed to solo play¬
ing? When you were learning how to play,
you were in your room alone transcribing
and becoming an instrumentalist, as op¬
posed to an ensemble player.

CW: As I was transcribing, I couldn't write
down what the other instruments were
doing, but I was checking it out, and I
could hear it—how the bass drum was
working against the bass, or noticing, "Hey,
those guitar beats are also being played by
the snare drum," and these things set up
different types of grooves.

RF: Some drummers only listen to the drum
part, and that limits the concept of playing
with others.

CW: The drum part alone doesn't mean
much.

RF: So you always knew to listen to the
whole?

CW: Pretty much. Not patting myself on
the back at all, but I think that's usually
how you can tell when someone has played
for a while; he or she usually plays to help
the song and the music, rather than, "This
is what I've practiced in my room." That
doesn't mean a thing.

RF: You must have known that pretty early,
because you were playing professionally at
a very young age.

CW: I was with Frank when I was 21, but I
was 19 when I started professionally and
went on the road with Leslie Uggams. She
is very good, and the band she had was
great. In fact, the keyboard player was Jim
Cox, who got me on the Barbra Streisand
gig and also on The Late Show.

RF: It was Jim Cox who hooked you up
with Albert Lee, too. I was thinking what a
strange pairing that is. Was that odd to do?
CW: It was great to do. It was a blast, and I

loved it. I don't play country music very
often, and he wanted that album [Speech¬
less] to be a bit weird anyway.

RF: There were some jazz inflections in
there.

CW: We did a Duane Eddy tune, and we
took it completely left. The bass player was
a very country bass player, and I think he
thought we were absolutely mad, because
on the solo section, Jim started taking it
out, and Albert was saying, "Yeah, yeah,
that's what I want."

RF: So in a situation like that you get to
infuse some of yourself in there.

CW: Yes, although on other tunes we kept
it very, very safe and straight and more
appropriate.

RF: There is one that is a train feel, and I
wondered how you even knew how to play
country music.

CW: I had played country music gigs be¬
fore—not a lot, but I've played a few clubs.
I've played the Palomino a few times. I
think it was someone Jim Cox was working
with again.

RF: And you didn't have an attitude about
it?

CW: No, we had a great time. Jim is amaz¬
ing at it, a real specialist. He gets an unbe¬
lievable steel guitar sound just on a Prophet.

I've played all sorts of gigs. Before I
played with Frank, I played with Leslie
Uggams, which is a Vegas-type show with
strings and that kind of thing.

RF: And you didn't get crazy?

CW: No, we had a good time, and at the
same time, the rhythm section had a fusion
band going, and that same rhythm section
became Bill Watrous's rhythm section. Af¬
ter a while, people were just hiring us as a
rhythm section because we could play jazz
and rock and most styles.

RF: Has there ever been a situation where
you felt creatively stifled?

CW: When you start playing a style you're
not used to, you feel a little bit strange.
When I first played with Bill Watrous, he
would count off tempos that were so fast, I
don't know if they're even on a metro¬
nome. And he's so amazing that he can
solo for 15 minutes, cycle breath, and go
on and on and on. That took a while to get
used to.

RF: How did you work with that?

CW: I had to practice just a basic swing
beat—ding dinga ding, dinga ding—for a
long time at home, and make sure I could
do it. If you ever tense up, you're not going
to last. You're going to hurt yourself and
have to stop playing, especially in that situ¬
ation where you have to play fast for a long
period of time. So I started analyzing what
my hand was doing, making sure it wasn't
working more than it had to, using all the
energy, making as much out of it as I could
without playing too hard. I'd try to play
lighter and make sure I wasn't using a big¬
ger stroke than I had to, which would take
up more time or energy.

RF: Take each situation you've been in for
a length of time and tell me what kind of
playing was required of you and how you

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attempted to fit the bill and approach the
music.

CW: In Frank's situation, a lot of it is dic¬
tated to you, so you often have the role of
basically doing what you're paid to be
doing. A lot of that is taking music home
and practicing it—multiple percussion parts
that are like classical parts. That, for me, is
probably the hardest side of that gig—just
memorizing all those notes and all the dif¬
ferent figures.

Allan's band is just the opposite of that.
You're more of a composer as far as the
drum part goes; that's what you're hired
for. There may be only a few people he
likes, but he is not going to tell them what
to do; he wants them to play the way he
likes to hear it. It's a real problem to find
somebody, and just until recently, there
hasn't been any music written for Allan's
stuff because Allan doesn't write it down.
Jimmy Johnson, the bass player, finally
wrote some of the drum parts out because
there have been a couple of times when
Gary Husband or I couldn't do the gig.
Gary and I have been juggling it around for
quite some time. Allan has had a few really
amazing drummers play, but it may not be
just quite the way he wants to hear it. But
he's still not going to tell them how he
wants to hear it. You don't get any direc¬
tion; it's a lot of luck, I guess. And if you're
going to have a situation that's that open,
when somebody steps in, it's going to make
it completely different. The way Gary Hus¬
band plays and the way I play are com¬
pletely different. He's probably even wilder
than I am. He's really, really amazing, and
we approach the music differently too, so
that gig is a strange one, because it's so
open. Every other gig I've done, somebody
has said, "Now, put the backbeat here," or,
"we're going to half time." None of it is
ever talked about with Allan, whereas with
Frank, a lot of it is talked about.

RF: Does it still feel creative?

CW: It still does, because once Frank puts
on the guitar, it's an open section. So in
parts of it you're more like a classical per¬
cussionist, playing the notes. It's like some¬
body playing Mozart and being asked, "Are
you being creative?" It's not really your job
at that point to be creative. You're not in a
composer's role; you're in a musician's role
or a sideman's role. But for solos and im¬
provisation sections, it's now your job to
be creative. That's how I look at it.

RF: Is there anyone else that you might
have worked with that required something
completely different?

CW: Those are the extremes. Everything
else kind of falls between them. I worked
with Men At Work for four months, and
that was all grooves, which was completely
different.

RF: Who were your influences in that re¬
spect?

CW: One who really impressed me and
who can do that type of thing really well is
Jeff Porcaro. Another drummer named Bob
Wilson, who played with a group called
Seawind, was a great groove drummer. He

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didn't play anything that was terribly tech¬
nical, but just the way he laid it down was
amazing. I would go out and see that band
a lot, and whenever Jeff Porcaro was play¬
ing, I'd see him. Also, when I was a bit
younger, I listened to John Guerin. I'm sure
those drummers can do a lot of things, but
when I heard them, they were playing a lot
of groove stuff. I always practiced grooves.
RF: How did you practice that?

CW: Different ways. Often I'd get a bass
player friend to come over and just play all
day—just grooves and feels. Or, if I was
alone, I'd set a metronome and try to play
different feels, or try to get it exactly locked,
or try to play with an edge a tiny bit, push¬
ing or laid back. I was pretty aware of
those type of things.

RF: What was it like going from a Zappa
mindset to something like Men At Work?
CW: I was playing grooves much more
before I played with Frank, because I was
doing demos and recording a little bit. I
wasn't really playing a lot of fusion stuff. I
was playing some jazz, and any session I
did was pretty much a pop tune or a rock
'n' roll groove—which did help with Frank,
too, because a lot of times you have to play
patterns. They can be simple patterns,
which you probably don't notice as much
as the musical Olympics. So it was just
getting back into that mode.

When I'm on tour with somebody, I like
to listen to the opposite music of whatever
music I'm playing on the tour. It's a good
change. Often with Allan Holdsworth, we'd
listen to pop music, Top-40 radio. I worked
at Disneyland with Jim Cox in a Top-40
band when I was younger. I was very fortu¬
nate. I went to Long Beach State University
when John Ferraro and Gordon Peak were
there, and I learned a lot from them. We all
kind of gave each other gigs, and Jim Cox
was the keyboard player at school at the
time. John Ferraro had the gig at
Disneyland, and when he got called to play
with Larry Carlton, he called me to take
over his gig at Disneyland. That's where I
got pretty tight with Jim Cox, which led to
Leslie Uggams and a lot of other things. So
I've been playing grooves for a long time.
RF: What would you say is your forte? You
play all this music and you don't seem to

have an attitude about any of it. So what
do you think are your strengths, if you
would pat yourself on the back for a min¬
ute?

CW: I really don't have any kind of prob¬
lem with reading, and once again, by play¬
ing Frank's gig, that's brought that to an¬
other level, even though I might not read
for six months. I do like playing pop music.
It's really fun to just sit back and play a real
strong groove, and try to play very simple
fills that can lift a tune before a chorus, and
do it in a way that is pedestrian enough,
but not so much so that it could be any¬
body. I love working with Allan. It's so free,
and I just love the way he writes. I feel I
can do that pretty well. I think I can play in
Frank's situation pretty well, too. Odd times
aren't really a problem. I've done it so
much. I think a lot of people get tense
about doing that, because they don't get to
practice it very much. I'm not the world's
greatest brush player. I haven't done that
for a long time, not since Bill Watrous or
Leslie Uggams or any jazz albums I've done.
That's something I could work on.

RF: How would you do that?

CW: That's something I've been thinking
about lately, actually. I'd like to take a few
lessons from a few players. I haven't taken
any lessons in about ten years, so I'd like to
take some from somebody who plays com¬
pletely different than I do. Peter could show
me some brush things, actually, and Jake
Hanna. Jake's amazing. He plays beautiful
brushes. I haven't done it, but I've been
thinking about calling up Alex Acuna, be¬
cause I haven't played a lot of Latin things.

I feel that my Latin playing is too jazz-
influenced. The way I play a samba is a
jazz samba; it's not a true Brazilian samba,
because I've played with some bass play¬
ers who have played true Brazilian samba,
and it's not the same as a jazz samba. They
leave half of the notes out, and I'm not sure
if the samba I would play against that would
be completely traditional. I like to know
what the formula is to make up different
styles of music.

At this point, I feel pretty confident, es¬
pecially coming off of a tour. Your chops
are really up when you get off the road,
and in Frank's situation, I do get to play a

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nervous in the studio. At first I did because
I was worried about how my drums were
really going to sound, getting along with
the engineer, what he was going to do to
the sound, and things like that.

RF: That was something else you mentioned
in your last article that I wanted to get
more into. You said drums should sound
different with every different thing you do.
CW: It's like a synthesizer player. He can
be more elaborate than you can be with
drums, but you have to know the right kind
of sounds to put out for the music. If James
Taylor calls, you're not going to walk in
with a Stewart Copeland-sounding snare
drum. You have to be aware of that. It's
going to be a bit lower pitched, unless he
wants to change. But he's pretty much es¬
tablished a type of sound that fits his mu¬
sic, and I imagine he likes to hear that. And
the same thing if, say, Ziggy Marley would
need a drummer. You wouldn't walk in
with a Russ Kunkel or Carlos Vega snare.
You have to be aware of these things—the
different tunes. For reggae you can tune it
very, very tight, make it very timbale-ish
sounding, maybe use a sizzle cymbal,
something Bob Marley used in his band.
RF: What do you do with Frank?

CW: We have to shift gears all the time, so
it's a pretty general-sounding kit. It's a rock¬
sounding bass drum with a blanket in it; it's
not a jazz bass drum. The toms are 10",
12", 14", 16", and 18", and they have white
heads on top and clear on the bottom.
They're all completely open, so with that
sound you can pretty much do anything.
The snare drum is fairly tight; we don't do
any James Taylor-ish songs.

RF: What about with Holdsworth?

CW: I use pretty much the same thing with
him. I often use more cymbals, though. It's
very spacious music, and I want to use
more bells and more variances in sounds.
RF: You changed drum companies from
Slingerland to DW since your last article.
CW: I ended up buying a kit of DW's since
I liked them so much, and then I thought,
"This isn't right. I don't want to be endors¬
ing something I wouldn't want to use in the
studio," so at that point I changed. It was
hard to do, because Slingerland took me
on when I was very young, and they were
terrific—really, really great people. But the
DW stuff is amazing, and it's all hand¬
made. They take a lot of pride in it, and a
big reason I like them is that their bearing
edges are really true, so there's a wide range
for every drum. I can tune them way down
and way up, and they won't sound choked
when they're too high or too papery when
they're too low. I can go for the Megadeth
sound or a jazz sound.

RF: What about getting a drum sound in
the studio as opposed to live?

CW: My drum sound is very similar in both
situations. The room is always different in
the studio, and live you have to deal with a
PA, which can be a real problem if you
don't have enough EQ on the mixing con¬
sole like you would in the studio. Some-

MODERN DRUMMER

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times you're working in a club and you
can only do so much, but I always try to
get really tight with the engineer and try to
work with him to get the best sound pos¬
sible.

RF: What about tuning?

CW: I'm really careful about tuning. On
my kit, I have all even sizes. I purposely
avoid 13" and 15" toms—not because I
actually go for pitched notes, but I try to go
for a wide enough interval between each
drum so you can actually hear the tone of
the drum. With a 10", 12", 13", and 14"
setup, I find I can't get a big enough space.
I like to hear each drum individually. I can
really hear when I'm on the 10" tom as
opposed to the 12". There's a fairly big gap,
pitch-wise. Each tom is very independent¬
sounding, so on solos, I try to be more
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tones than as tom-toms, and I think that my
setup helps me do it. I also do that with
cymbals. I don't get too many cymbals that
have the same frequency range, which is a
big reason I like my Paistes. I have a 14", a
16", and an 18", and each one isn't com¬
pletely covering up the other's frequency
range. You can hear a bit of a tone to each
one and you can hear more of the note.
And I have mic's in all of my drums. Really
good mic's make such a difference going
out over the PA. In the studio, I tune for the
song. If I'm in the studio with Barbra Strei¬
sand, I'm not going to go for as high a pitch
snare sound as I normally do with Frank
and Allan. As far as snare drums go, I'll
either use Drum Workshop brass drums or
I'll use Noble & Cooley wood drums.

RF: Do you take the same equipment into
the studio?

CW: Yes I do. I basically have three
drumsets that are very similar. I have two
with the setup I just mentioned. The set I
use with Frank has an 18" floor tom as
well, because he wanted a really huge floor
tom.

RF: What do you want to do at this point
with your music?

CW: I'm trying to write music.

RF: What kind of music do you write?

CW: Kind of a bit of everything, like what I
play. I've got a couple of tunes that are
finished; one is a light reggae tune with
vocals on it, and the other is more of an
R&B funk tune. Allan has helped me out
with these and played on them, and my
brother played bass.

RF : What do you compose on?

CW: Either keyboards or a Chapman Stick.

I got the Stick a few months ago and took it
on the road. I think it's a great writing tool.
And I have a Macintosh. I would eventu-

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ally like to be a composer. I would like to
be a solo artist and put out an album. These
tunes don't sound like a drummer wrote
them. But I have other things that don't fit
that mold either and are a bit wilder.

RF: What about the recording work you do
in town?

CW: I do a lot of jingles. I work for John
Trivers and Liz Myers a lot. They're the
greatest people, and it's usually me and Jim
Cox or Alan Pasqua. The first one I did was
a Nike ad, which involved basketball play¬
ers playing, so it was all drums. They
wanted kind of a Police feel—really wild—
and it was basically a drum solo that they
put some sound effects to later. You never
know what they're going to be. The client
might say, "We just want piano," or "It's
got to be Van Halen," or "Did I say Van
Halen? No, I meant a polka." Those things
are often like Frank's gig; they change all
the time. They really write great music and
still keep the ad people very happy. It's not
the normal way of doing jingles. From what
I understand, that's usually guys in and out
of the studio in an hour. We spend a good
hour or two just getting a drum sound.
They do it at Village—studio A or studio
D—at Capitol B, or at Studio Ultima, and
they spend time with the sounds and hire
great people.

RF: What would you bring to that gig?

CW: My usual set plus my electronics.

RF: Do you use electronics with Zappa?
CW:Yesldo.

RF: Can you give me an idea of what you
use?

CW: I use the Dynacord ADD-one and an
Akai S-900 sampler—basically the two
brains—and it's all wired into a Switchcraft
patch bay. I had it done properly, so that
there are no hums and no buzzes. We did
85 gigs with Frank, and it hummed one
day, which is unbelievable. Ron Aston put
it together for me. Every sound comes up at
the patch bay and the mixer. I have out¬
board gear, a couple of Roland delays—an
SPX-90 and an SRV-2000— and I trigger off
the drums. I have Octapads and Dan Dauz
pads, which are little electronic pads that
you can put all over the kit. I'm into elec¬
tronics in a big way. On the '84 tour with
Frank I used a real bass drum, snare drum,
cymbals, and ten pads.

|RF: Why do electronics interest you?

CW: Engineering interests me a lot. On
tour, I'm usually hanging out with the sound
engineer. Allan is an engineer as well, so
I've learned a lot from him. I'm always
picking his brain. Before the '84 tour, I was
using the Simmons SDS-7 and had 16 dif¬
ferent patches that I could use. I use a lot of
different sounds. For Colin Hay's record, a
lot of those rhythm parts were being played
from an Octapad, not keyboards. Some¬
times for a really ridiculously huge snare
drum, I'll use white noise on a Prophet and
some other sound on a DX, plus the other
samplers. On the jingles I use different
sounds all the time. It's great, because you
can get an instantly huge sound by having
multiple units being played together.

MODERN DRUMMER

RF: How electronic do you sound?

CW: I didn't start triggering until this tour. I
always pretty much kept them separate and
used them as effects or for solos—and not
only drum sounds either; sometimes I'd use
marimba sounds, so I could play melodies
and chords. But I wanted more sound pos¬
sibilities.

RF: Is Frank into this?

CW: Oh, yes. For the '84 tour he wanted
everything electronic, but we decided to
keep the kick and the snare drum acoustic.
RF: How did you feel about playing pads?
CW: It was pretty strange at first, because
at that time it was theSDS-V, which had
the very hard pads. I couldn't imagine play¬
ing those for a whole tour. Some of Frank's
roadies were working with Missing Per¬
sons, so I went over to Terry's [Bozzio]
warehouse where he had his electronics
setup. They tapped on it for me and it
sounded so amazing, really hi-fi, and I
thought, "That would be really amazing if
you could actually get a great sound wher¬
ever you are." So I thought, "That's another
completely different way to think." It would
be great to have everything sound really
expensive on stage, coming out in stereo
with the correct reverbs and correct delay
times. I used the electronics with Men At
Work, too.

RF: With Men At Work, was it weird com¬
ing into a situation where there had been
another drummer?

CW: There had been another band. Colin
[Hay] and Greg [Hamm] were the only
ones left. This was kind of a version two.
The tour was going to be amazing. They
had booked a month in China after Wham!
had played there. We rehearsed in Mel¬
bourne for a month, and the bass player,
Jeremy Alsop, was great. It turned out we
had all the same influences, and he was
really into Zappa and Weather Report. But
China got cancelled, and they panicked
because they had us all on salary. So they
ended up booking all of Australia, and we
went to the outback, to Broken Hill, and
these mining towns. It was a wild experi¬
ence. But I met my wife on that tour, who
was singing with the opening band, so I'm
glad I did it.

RF: So what's your focus?

CW: Can't you tell I'm not focused at all?
[laughs]

RF: What about burning desires?

CW: I have a burning desire to do this solo
thing. That's a huge goal. That's not much
to do with drumming at all, but it just seems
like the right step to take at this point.
Sometimes you can get tired of being a
sideman. You finally get to the point where
you think, "I should be doing something
on my own as well." Not that I would do
that 100% of the time, but I have a lot of
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MODERN DRUMMER

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a maze of tiny recording rooms, complete
with the latest recording equipment.

Schwartzberg sits down with his Linn
9000. It's a tight fit. He remarks that such
facilities are the wave of the recording fu¬
ture. "You don't need to go into a tradi¬
tional studio anymore to cut a jingle," he
says. "What I have to do for the next hour
or so can be done in this little bit of a
room. The accent is on cost efficiency."

Schwartzberg works through the music.
It's not the most challenging work; in fact,
Schwartzberg fights off boredom as he adds
electronic drums to what is a pretty catchy
melody.

RS: You're not the world's biggest fan of

drum machines, are you?

AS: Yes and no. The electronics thing that's
been occurring in music was difficult for
me to accept at first. It's only been in the
past four years that I really got into modern
drum technology. I love the sonics of the
electronic drum technology, and certain
things are almost impossible to play any
other way, but there are uncomfortable
areas for me.

RS: Why is that?

AS: Because there are hidden factors. Things
go wrong, and I don't know why. That
really bothers me. When I use a drum ma¬
chine, I'm speaking through an instrument
that's cold and sometimes insensitive. It's
not a direct means of musical communica¬

tion as far as I'm concerned. I do feel I can
program anything that I can play, yet there
are things that make me uneasy. Take, for
instance, this piece that I'm working on.
Something could happen three quarters of
the way through the session. The Linn could
go down. It could simply crash. Then I'd
have to start all over again. It's nerve-rack¬
ing more than anything else, I guess. That's
especially true when I'm dealing with the
9000. It's the best-feeling drum machine
on the market, but it can give you a heart
condition.

RS: Did you get into drum programming
out of necessity?

AS: Yes. A good friend of mine, Steve Shaef-
fer, who does the first-call film work in
California, just about threatened my life if I
didn't learn how to program. He said to
me, "Allan, you're not going to make a liv¬
ing if you don't. You're going to be an old
guy like those die-hard beboppers." He saw
the handwriting on the wall. He was defi¬
nitely right. Not only do people really want
you to use a drum machine in the studio,
but having a machine like the Linn and
knowing how to program is a definite indi¬
cation of whether or not you're really "here"
in the present. If you're not dealing with
electronics, you're not happening in the
session world. A session player like me has
to keep up with technology. It's that simple.
RS: What kinds of electronic equipment do
you find yourself using most in the studio?
AS: I use the Linn 9000, Octapads, and
tons of samples that I've made and traded
with Sammy Merindino, who is, without a
doubt, the absolute champ at this stuff. My
equipment is the kind that I can break down,
pack up, put under my arm, and take to the
studio. Any other equipment I'll get from
the studio itself. Most of the studios I work
at have great outboard equipment and great
engineers. Why not take advantage of that?

I set up Yamaha MIDI pads for the toms
and mount Octapads on the hi-hat stand to
play live percussion and sound effects, like
cymbal swells, backward sounds, etc.

RS: What are your feelings about the rela¬
tionship between percussion and drums?
AS: Percussion is great fun to play. It's the
icing on the cake, or it can be the whole
feel itself. Percussion and drums together
make the rhythmic fabric. Try to imagine
the Miami Sound Machine without percus¬
sion.

The late Jimmy Maelen was the best there
ever was at doing that stuff. He had an
overview that very few possess, and he
could find slots in the music that you didn't
know were there. We worked together
almost every day. Playing with live percus¬
sion is such a treat for a drummer, espe¬
cially with someone like Maelen. Ask Andy
Newmark about that. Jimmy was a rock.
He was my dearest friend.

RS: Is there a difference in the level of
satisfaction you experience when you
complete a drum programming session as
opposed to a session where you used acous¬
tic drums?

AS: Oh, yeah. When I finish programming

MODERN DRUMMER

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a drum part, it's like a wet dream.

I did everything in the dream
that I would do when I'm awake,
but I didn't really do anything.

It's an artificial sense of satisfac¬
tion. That's a weird analogy, but
it's true.

RS: These days a lot of keyboard
players are getting involved in
drum programming. How do
you feel about that intrusion into
a drummer's territory?

AS: It's scary to hear some of the
drum parts that non-drummers
are coming up with today. Most
of them suck and have a stupid,
robotic feel. I asked Steve Shaef-
fer what he says when he hears
a great drum program by a key¬
board player. You know what
he told me? "Don't sayanything.

Don't tell him it's good. Let's try to keep
keyboard players at the keyboards."

While the rest of the staff at Crushing sits
down to a lunch of fried chicken and rice
made by the resident cook, Schwartzberg
and the producer of the jingle go over pro¬
gramming details. Schwartzberg has time
for a couple of bites of an apple and a swig
of beer, but no lunch.

Next up is overdubbing. To watch Allan
work is to witness an exercise in concen¬
tration. He immerses himself in the music
and doesn't come up for air. He checks
and rechecks his work, and he continu¬
ously tries to improve upon it until he's
exhausted every possible idea in his head.
For someone who says he's not completely
comfortable with electronics, Schwartzberg
is indeed in command of the instrument.
It's no wonder nearly a third of the studio
work he does involves his drum machine.

RS: How and why did you become a drum¬
mer?

AS: This is strange, but honest, it's abso¬
lutely true. I've told this story before. I don't
know how many people believe it, though.
There was a magical moment in my life
when I was about eight years old. I was on
my way to school one day when I heard a
Gene Krupa record. Somebody was play¬
ing it in an apartment, and the music was
escaping through an open window. It was
incredible. I froze in my tracks. I mean, it
was like a mystical experience or some¬
thing. I went into a trance. It was as if
somebody reached into my body and turned
on a switch. When I went home later that
day, I immediately began banging on the
table and the side of the washing machine.
You have to understand that there are no
musicians in my family. Everyone is either
a doctor or a lawyer or a jeweler. But I
pleaded with my parents to buy me a set of
drums, which, fortunately for me, they did.
RS: You don't get to hear stories about
musicians who experienced such single,
profound awakenings as you did, at least
not that often.

AS: It was really crazy. I mean, who knows

where this fascination with drums came
from? I never even heard anyone play drums
before that day. I'll never forget it as long
as I live. The only other mystical experi¬
ence I've ever had was when I made eye
contact with my wife, Susan, for the first
time.

RS: Did your parents support you in your
early musical endeavors?

AS: They bought me a set of drums. But,
generally, they tried to discourage me from
pursuing music as a career. They knew the
music business was a shaky business. They
wanted me to become a doctor or a law¬
yer.

RS: But you persisted and stuck with the
drums.

AS: That's right. I was very much into sports
as a kid. But when I discovered the drums,

I gave up sports. I just gave them up. One
day I was playing baseball. I was standing
there in the outfield, and I suddenly said,
"Screw this!" Something clicked in my brain
that forced me to walk off the field in the
middle of the game. That was it. I went
home to practice the drums. I practiced
eight hours a day. I'd go into a trance while
I was practicing. I'd memorize Max Roach
solos and just imitate drummers.

RS: Your musical focus was primarily jazz?
AS: I didn't notice any other music.

RS: But, growing up in the '50s, weren't
you affected by Elvis Presley and the birth
of rock 'n' roll?

AS: No. Ironically, I love that stuff now, but
at the time, I didn't notice a thing. When I
got past the Gene Krupa fascination, I turned
my attention to black jazz drummers. I
loved Philly Joe Jones and Pete LaRoca and
Max Roach. I bought everything that Elvin
Jones ever played on. I loved Tony
Williams's drum style. I still do. Later on, I
worked across the street from where Elvin
Jones was playing, and I got to know him.
Philly Joe Jones, though, was so great, I
couldn't even begin to emulate his style'of
playing. Elvin Jones seemed easier for me
to imitate.

RS: Do you remember your first set of
drums?

AS: Oh, yeah. It was a Gretsch set. I've

MODERN DRUMMER

Our destination is Automated Studios on
43rd and Broadway.

On the way, Schwartzberg talks about
the session he just completed. "It's a funny
thing," he says. "I've been doing this ses¬
sion thing for a long time. But every time I
record, there's a slight fear that's left inside
me. It comes from, I don't know, maybe an
uncertainty about my performance. Some¬
thing inside me always asks, "Was that the
best you could play?"

We inch our way to the studio. Rush
hour has begun. We make it to Automated
with minutes to spare. Guitarist John Tropea,
a close friend of Schwartzberg, greets us.
He tells us there will be a bit of a delay.
Allan doesn't complain. He'll get paid for a
few minutes of relaxation. It's the first bit of
leisure he's experienced all day.

RS: What's the difference, if any, between
the New York session scene and the one in
L.A.?

AS: Sometimes I think the L.A. scene is the
opposite of what we have here in New
York. Out in L.A., things seem so amaz¬
ingly elegant, compared to New York,
which one might consider the slums. At
L.A. studios there are parking spaces for
the musicians. What a luxury. The equip¬
ment scene is completely different. Every¬
body in L.A. owns tons of stuff, and it's all
carted to every session where it's played in
huge rooms. Here we have mostly little
rooms and people jumping in and out of
cabs. In New York we take back-to-back
sessions. Out in L.A., a session player might
take a session from 10:00 to 1:00 and
maybe another one from 2:00 to 5:00. They
have to have space between sessions. Here
in New York I can take a session from
10:00 to 11:00, from 11:30 to 12:30, from
1:00 to 2:00, and so on. Musicians do a lot
of film work in L.A. In New York we do a
lot of jingles. The film work pays a lot, I
might add, which is good for those guys.
They get a Motion Picture Fund check at
the end of the year. New York session mu¬
sicians get residuals from the jingles they
play on. Most of the jingles in the U.S. are
done here in New York. I think there are
more record dates going on in L.A., though.
RS: Which scene do you think is more
competitive?

AS: Somebody in the business once said
you can see the knife coming in New York,
but in L.A. you don't. I've always enjoyed
working in LA., and I've been doing some
writing for a show out there. I've written
some things with John [Tropea]. We wrote
the whole music package for a TV show
called Hour Magazine. We're going to try
to do some more of that.

But, to answer your question, I used to
feel this competition thing you're referring
to. I must admit that I always felt like a kid
from a poor neighborhood whenever I went
out to work in L.A. There is less of a pres¬
sure factor out there. If you're out of work
in New York, you're a goner. If you're starv¬
ing in L.A., you can always pick an avo¬
cado off a tree and whip up some guaca-

been so lucky. As a kid I lived in an apart¬
ment house with neighbors on all sides. I
used to practice all day, and the neighbors
didn't mind. I lucked out...or maybe they
moved out.

RS: Did you take drum lessons when you
were a kid?

AS: I studied drums with a guy named
Sammy Ulano, who became an inspiration
of sorts to me. He embarrassed me into
practicing. He made me feel bad if I didn't
practice. He was the only real drum teacher
I had. He taught me how to read. I learned
everything else from records. So, in a way,
Tony Williams, Elvin, and Philly Joe were
my teachers. Later on, Keltner and Roger
Hawkins were teachers. I can say the same

thing about Bernard Purdie, who I thought
was absolutely great. Purdie has got to be
given credit for inventing the "groove."
Nobody grooves as hard as he does. He's
the missing link between rock 'n' roll,
rhythm & blues, and jazz. Everyone has
stolen from him in one capacity or another.

Schwartzberg completes the overdubs,
packs up his Linn, and is on the move
again. Next up: session number three—a
simple overdub jingle session. Then there's
number four. Schwartzberg says he's look¬
ing forward to this one, since he'll be cut¬
ting one or two rhythm tracks for an up¬
coming Linda Ronstadt album. We get into
the car and again confront midtown traffic.

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MODERN DRUMMER

mole.

RS: Is there such a thing as a "New York"
feel when one talks about New York ses¬
sion drummers?

AS: I think there is. It's the type of thing that
has to do with intensity. The old saying is
that New York drummers play on top of the
click, while L.A. drummers play behind it.
I'm not sure that's true, but it might be.
We're on top of the click because there's a
crisis here—millions of people jammed into
one town, talented, competitive, nervous,
and freezing their asses off in the winter.
We're a product of our environment.

RS: You seem to read music rather well. Is
that a basic requirement for session play¬
ers?

AS: For me it is. Reading music is easy—
same as a newspaper. There is really no
reason why a session player can't read. But
there are some musicians who can't read
and still manage. The bottom line is that
most session musicians read.

RS: What happens to a session drummer
who can't read when a producer hands out
sheet music and says, "Play this"?

AS: Well, that musician better have great
ears. Sometimes a producerwill say, "Okay
guys, get out your pencils and change the
piece so that when we go back to the top
we cut out the last three bars and make the
fourth bar 3/4," or something to that effect.
Now, for someone who's just learned the
music and who can't read, well, he has to
relearn the piece. It's going to take him at
least two to three attempts to get it right.
The other guys around him will play the
piece in its revised form and probably won't
make any mistakes. Often, they'll get an¬
noyed at the drummer who can't read. You
can't really blame them.

It's a funny thing about playing drums.
When something is not feeling good at a
session or in a band, all sights—as in gun
sights—are on the drummer. You're the
engine of the band. A drummer can't afford
a bad day. A session drummer isn't in a
band. But—and this is important—he's
supposed to sound like he's in a band, and
he's supposed to make everyone else in the
studio sound like they're in a band, too.

A producer hires me knowing that I'm
going to take this music he's just handed
me, and I'm going to interpret it and pro¬
duce on my instrument. That's what I really
am—a drum producer. I produce drum
parts. You can't play what's written in the
music. Very few people know how to write
for drums. Van McCoy was one of the ex¬
ceptions. John Tropea is an exception.

Speaking of Tropea, he enters the room
Allan and I have been talking in and calls
Allan back into the studio. The equipment
is finally set up, and he overdubs three
drum fills in a Pizza Hut commercial. Then
we're out of there and on our way to the
last session at Sunset Sound. Schwartzberg
and the others will work on one Ronstadt
rhythm track. Despite three previous ses¬
sions, no lunch or supper, a number of
mini-interviews conducted by yours truly,

and the frustration that goes with working
in Manhattan (traffic, parking, etc.), Allan
is as sharp as a tack for this session. What
he plays seems perfectly tailored for the
song he and the other musicians work on
that night.

I begin to think that Schwartzberg's true
talent—and that of any successful studio
drummer—is his staying power. Allan rarely
loses his edge. He seems to be able to call
up an energy reserve and a heightened set
of concentration skills when an ordinary
drummer would be ready to pack it in for
the day. The result is that the last session of
the day for Schwartzberg often sounds as
fresh and rewarding as the first.

Schwartzberg is at Sunset Studios until
8:30 P.M. He leaves his drums at the studio
and races down to the Twenty Twenty Club
where Maureen McGovern is nervously
waiting for him. In minutes he's on stage
with her and her band. After the set, which
is about an hour long, I get to speak with
Schwartzberg one more time.

RS: It's been a long day.

AS: Yeah, but the pace and the workload
are things you get used to. I'm probably
not as tired as you are.

RS: You're probably right. You've played a
number of roles today. You cut three jingles,
did an album track, and played a live date.
Does it ever get a bit overwhelming?

AS: I feel like I'm a character actor. Years
ago, before Robert Duvall became famous
as an actor, I often identified with him.
Duvall used to be a guy whose face you
knew, but you didn't know his name, even
if he was so believable in so many roles.
That's the way I see myself. I'm not a star
like Steve or Dave, [laughs] I just blew it. I
was hoping that this would be the first drum
interview that didn't mention Gadd and
Weckl.

As for my drumming, I have certain iden¬
tifiable things—emotional tom-tom fills,
nice colors in sensitive parts, things like
that. I try to take a drum part as far as I can
without the drums sticking out or showing
off. I say to myself, "What's the most I can
do with this piece of music?" I'll do some
inventive things when I can. Once I put a
beer bottle on top of the hi-hat stand. I
played the hi-hat and the bottle and got
this high-pitched glass sound just before
the backbeat. I don't ever see myself play¬
ing in a boring fashion. I always try to play
with some wit. I consider Keltner, Richie
Hayward, B.J. Wilson, and old-timer Sol
Gubin to be really witty drummers.

RS: It seems like you always try to use
Yamaha drums.

AS: I endorse Yamaha drums. I only went
after a drum endorsement once, and that's
when I discovered Yamaha drums. I was
knocked out by their drums. I even got
most of the studios in town to buy Yamaha
equipment. Almost every studio of note in
Manhattan now has a Yamaha drumset on
the premises.

RS: What's the ideal setup for you?

AS: I like to play the Recording series. That's

STEVE
FERRO

(Eric Clapton/Studio)

P f -t>TO. LFE

Although his drumming with Brian Auger’s |
Oblivion Express won him a legion of fans,
it was Steve Ferrcme's longtime stint with
the soulful Average White Band, most
notably, his rock steady syncopations on
their hit album l Cut The Cake ! that
launched him into the successful sessions |
career he now enjoys.

An impressive technician capable of laying |
down the most intense grooves, Steve has
long been a popular recording and tour
choice with such diverse notables as 1
| Chaka Khan r Peter Frampton, Steve
Winwood. Al Jarreau. Paul Simon, George
Benson and Duran Duran, who incorporated
his funk/rock style as an Integral part of j
their 'Notorious'' album ami four. Along the
way Steve has also become a regular in
Eric Clapton's all-star band (a position he
occasionally shares with Phil Collins) and
has recently assembled and recorded his
own new group, Easy Pieces,

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MODERN DRUMMER

the set I own. I have a 20" bass drum, and
10", 13", and 16" toms, plus the Yamaha
electronic pads. I use only Vic Firth sticks,
and only Zildjian cymbals. My hi-hats are
14" Zildjians. One of my favorite pieces of
equipment, which isn't a Yamaha, happens
to be a Roland mount that fits anything
that's cylindrical. What this means to me is
that I can mount my Octapads on anything
that has a pole.

RS: Do you still practice?

AS: When I do things at sessions or live
dates that I'm not happy with, or when I
know I could have played better, I go home
and practice. It could be something really
basic, like a straight 8th-note bass drum
pattern. But if I don't do it just right—like I
might hear a little "skipping" feeling, a slight
dotted-8th feel, in the playback—I'll go
home and practice that.

RS: How many other session drummers
react the same way to a less than perfect
session as you do?

AS: I don't know. Probably not too many.
RS: How many session drummers are there
in the business who are making a good
living and are working regularly?

AS: I'd say there are about eight of us. I'm
not including great players like Steve Gadd
or Dave Weckl; they're on the road a lot.
So the top six or so drummers are working
five days a week. Drummers seven and
eight are probably working four days week.
RS: You obviously work five days a week.
AS: Most of the time.

RS: Could you, if you wanted to, work

more?

AS: No, I don't think so. It's pretty much a
five-day-a-week situation. I would work
seven if the music was worthwhile and the
money was good, though. I recently did a
great album project with Elliot Randall, El¬
liot Easton, and Will Lee that stretched into
the weekend, but it was worth it because
the music was so good.

RS: What are the down sides of being a
session drummer in New York?

AS: You could, one day, find yourself star¬
ing at the telephone. Remember, people
have to ask you to show up at a session.
RS: Did you ever find yourself staring at the
phone?

AS: No, it hasn't happened to me, thank
God. I'm waiting for it to happen, though.
I'm always thinking that it's going to hap¬
pen today or tomorrow or the next day. I
live in fear of the phone not ringing. I might
get a call for only one session today and
maybe nothing for the rest of the week.
Then I start thinking, "Maybe this is the
week that it all ends." A guitar player I
know recently told me that he hasn't worked
in three weeks. He said the calls just
stopped coming.

RS: If the studio work did, in fact, dry up
for you, would you stay in music? Or would
you do something else with your life?

AS: Oh, I'd stay in music. Actually, I'm
very prepared for the day when I don't
have to play drums. I love producing rec¬
ords. I have a jingle company called Pic¬
ture Music. I've written, co-written, and

arranged jingles. I'm ready.

RS: The classic gripe against a session player
is this: He's a hired gun. He has no real
emotional connection to the music. To him
the song is just another song and the ses¬
sion just another session. How do you re¬
spond to that?

AS: It's a stigma that some of us are trying
to live down. Let's face it, there are some
session players out there who sound like
machines. I think some studio musicians
would be the first ones to admit that on
certain kick-ass rock passages, it doesn't
quite sound like they're playing standing
up. You have to play believably. You strive
to sound believable all the time. You know
what I'm most proud of?

RS: What's that?

AS: That I was able to play live gigs with
Stan Getz, Mountain, and Peter Gabriel in
one career.

RS: You even got to put your drum mark on
some of Jimi Hendrix's music too, right?
AS: That's right. I met Hendrix once. I was
playing with Mose Allison at the time. I
thought Hendrix was kind of a noisy player.
He and his band were playing opposite us.
He was a loud and lunatic kind of player.
Later on I did a thing at Media Sound here
in New York where I overdubbed the drum
parts on some Hendrix tracks that were
released after he had died. We could all
swear that the session was spooked. Bars
didn't count out right and other weird things
occurred. That was a tough job for me
because those guys [Hendrix and his band]

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MODERN DRUMMER

were wrecked when they played. I had to
trace the tempo—or should I say tempos. I
remember Hendrix counting off once. It
went something like this: "One, two," and
then in another tempo, "a one..., two...,
three...." The records were Crash Landing
and Midnight Lightning.

RS: Have you done a lot of this sort of work
in the past?

AS: I'd say so. I also overdubbed a lot of
Sly Stone stuff. I was amazed at how un¬
even the time was on Sly's material. They
didn't use a click track back then. Fortu¬

nier off camera.

RS: What contemporary drummers do you
especially admire?

AS: I enjoy Jim Keltner, B.J. Wilson, Richie
Hayward, and Sol Gubin. I love Mickey
Curry because he plays the way I like to
play. Steve Shaeffer is a great drummer. He
has absolutely perfect time. Dave Weckl is
a fantastic player. I also admire Jeff Por-
caro.

RS: When you go home after a long day
like this one, what do you do? Do you plop
into a chair and relax?

RS: Is there anything in particular that you
want to accomplish before you give all this
up?

AS: I'd love to reach out and get into that
zone of playing where the hands play all
by themselves. In that zone you become a
mere spectator; you watch your hands do
the playing. I've experienced that a couple
of times in the past. I'd like to get to the
point where I'm doing it and experiencing
it more often—that magical state of mind
and body. I guess I just want to play like
this drummer I hear in my dreams.

nately, everyone was uneven together. Like
the Beatles.

RS: What are some of the other albums you
played on that you're especially proud of?
AS: Roxy Music's Flesh And Blood. I played
on Peter Gabriel's first solo album, which
is a great one. I also played on Alice Coo¬
per and Kiss records. I did a lot of the disco
records in the mid-'70s. In fact, I have the
dubious distinction of being credited with
creating the disco beat on Gloria Gaynor's
"Never Can Say Goodbye."

RS: One thing you've done a few times
over the past few years is sub on the Letter-
man show. What's that like?

AS: Best job of all time. It's 4:00 to 6:30 in
the afternoon, when nothing else is going
on around town, [laughs] You play with a
hot band with hot music guests, your mother
sees you on TV, and you make a nice taste.
Paul Shaffer is the greatest—ten times fun¬

AS: I go home at night and think about
what I could have played on a session but
didn't. I'll tap my fingers on the table as I'm
waiting for dinner. I can't shake the drums.
I'm always worried about losing my edge.
It's a bitch. If I go into a slump, I'll wonder
if I'll ever get out of it. I have moments
where I'm really creative, but then every
once in a while I'll have to look at all the
records on the wall. I'll say to myself, "Wait
a minute, you've accomplished all this.
Calm down. Besides, you're booked to¬
morrow. Be cool." But maybe that's one of
the true secrets about making it as a ses¬
sion drummer. Maybe it's one of the rea¬
sons why I'm still here, still making a good
living. I never come up for air. I keep dig¬
ging, I keep pushing. Maybe that's the way
to stay around in this business. Anybody
can climb up the session ladder. The trick
is to stay up at the top once you get there.

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iUC 'CHOICE *DiSGOVtR

Auditions can be both nerve-wracking and
an excellent opportunity to show off musi¬
cal technique and skill. They can be re¬
membered as leaving a good impression or
a bad impression—or a smile.

Neil Grover had just completed his fresh¬
man year at Florida State University when
he decided to audition for Saul Goodman
at the Juilliard School of Music in New
York. Neil continues the story: "I had de¬
cided to play a selection from Elliott Carter's
'Eight Pieces For Timpani.' At the time, I
was using Vic Firth timpani sticks, which
Mr. Goodman was not too pleased about.
After I tuned the timpani—Goodman drums,
of course —/ looked directly at him and
said, 'Mr. Goodman, I would now like to
perform the Carter "March For Timpani.'" I
took a deep breath in preparation to play,
and he interrupted me to say, 'By the way,
who is this piece dedicated to?'And I jok¬
ingly replied, 'This is dedicated to some¬
one named Saul Goodman, but I never
heard of him!' Unfortunately, he didn't think
that was very funny, and proceeded to lec¬
ture me on being a wise guy. I left that
audition thinking I should cross Juilliard off
my list!"

Despite his inauspicious audition, Neil
was accepted by the prestigious school.
However, he chose to attend the New Eng¬
land Conservatory of Music, where he could
study with Vic Firth, timpanist of the Bos¬
ton Symphony Orchestra. This was the
beginning of a 12-year association between
Neil and the musical environment of Bean-
town, an association that still continues to¬
day.

AB: When was the first time you performed
with the Boston Symphony Orchestra?

NG: As I recall, it was in 1975, when I was
a student at Tanglewood. There was some
type of mix-up where some of the percus¬
sionists that were supposed to be at Tangle-
wood were still in Boston, playing for the
Pops, so they needed someone at the last
minute. I remember the personnel man¬
ager asking, "Would you play this
afternoon's rehearsal with the BSO?" Of
course I was thrilled.

AB: What piece was the orchestra playing?
NG: It was Scheherazade by Rimsky-Kor-
sakov, which I knew. But I ran back to my
dorm room, scraped up the music, and
within an hour I made sure I knew it cold.
AB: Which part did you play?

NG: Triangle, which is really a very diffi¬
cult part. All the fellows in the section were
very supportive and very nice to me. Ever
since then, I've substituted in the orches¬
tra—occasionally at first and fairly regu¬
larly today.

The section in Boston is wonderful. Frank
Epstein is an artist; Tom Gauger is a won¬
derful percussionist; Charlie Smith is the
mainstay of the section up there. Arthur
Press has the most amazing snare drum
technique; I know why they call it a "press
roll"! And what can I say about Vic? He is

Neil

Photo by Liz McNeil

the ultimate timpanist.

One other musician in Boston who has
been really close to me is Fred Buda. Fred
is probably familiar to most people because
he is the drummer in the Boston Pops,
which is telecast on PBS. He's a consumate
musician: He's a wonderful mallet player,
plays timpani with great finesse, and he's a
marvelous jazz drummer. I can learn some¬
thing just by listening to him. He's a real
inspiration.

Boston is a very good situation because
the percussionists are like a big family and
are supportive of each other. I learned a lot
from my colleagues up there.

AB: What is it like playing under the direc¬
tion of Seiji Ozawa?

NG: In my opinion, Seiji has the best stick
technique in the business. You know ex¬
actly where to place each note. He's a very
demanding conductor; he knows what he
wants and does what he has to do to get it.
If something gets off slightly, he'll look right
at you without hesitation. He's very much
in control over the music he's conducting.
I enjoy working with him.

AB: You also play regularly with the Boston
Pops, who play a somewhat "lighter" rep¬
ertoire than the traditional classics. How is
it different?

NG: There's a lot of running around—play¬
ing everything from mallets to accessories
to the kitchen sink! Believe it or not, I play
more in one Pops concert than I do in

some entire ballet seasons.
That's because most of the ar¬
rangements we do are scored
specifically for the Pops and
the arrangers know how to
write for percussion. They are
very difficult, "meaty" parts.
AB: John Williams has been
the conductor of the Pops
since the days of Arthur Fied¬
ler. What's it like to play for
him?

NG: John Williams is an ex¬
cellent conductor and a phe¬
nomenal musician. Both his
father and brother are percus¬
sionists, so he knows a lot
about percussion. He's very
sensitive to tone color and
doesn't hesitate to tell you
what he wants.

AB: It's fortunate that he
knows so much about your
instruments.

NG: That's evident by his writ¬
ing. Anybody who has played
Star Wars knows that the tim¬
pani part is a greaf part. John
Williams is very aware of the
percussion section. If anything, he has toned
down the section somewhat, because he's
used to studio work, where they don't have
to produce as loud a sound because
everything's picked up in the recording.
Boston has a tradition of aggressive percus¬
sion playing. Not to indicate that it's dis¬
tasteful, but it's a full sound, and there is a
lot of presence in the percussion section.
John also likes to hear a little more string
sound, so he's changing the balance of the
orchestra a little bit. He's a fine musician
who is very supportive of the percussion¬
ists in the orchestra.

AB: To change the subject, let's discuss
your early years. Following high school,
you attended Florida State University for
one year. Who did you study percussion
with at FSU?

NG: I studied with Robert McCormick, who
was a wonderful teacher and who helped
me with my percussion playing. But soon I
realized I wanted to concentrate on tim¬
pani so I could play in an orchestra, and
that I needed to go someplace where it was
musically more sophisticated. At that point
I decided to transfer. Bob encouraged me
to study with a major timpanist—someone
like Vic Firth or Saul Goodman.

AB: We already heard about your infamous
audition at Juilliard. How was your audi¬
tion in Boston?

NG: I had met Vic Firth the year before at
Tanglewood. I heard him play and was very

MODERN DRUMMER

Grover

by Andrea Byrd

impressed. I thought he would be a won¬
derful teacher. So I auditioned for him, and
he told me right away that he would like
me to come there and study with him. I
told him about my audition for Saul
Goodman, which he thought was humor¬
ous, and he told me to consider Juilliard
because it was a good school. But I knew I
wanted to study with him; Vic was the de¬
ciding factor. So I moved to Boston, got
myself an apartment, and for the next three
years I worked very hard while in school.
AB: What type of things did you work on
with Vic Firth?

NG: We did all aspects of percussion play¬
ing—from the traditional marimba concer¬
tos to his snare drum books. I'd have to say
I got the most out of him as a timpani
teacher. Going through his book with him
was very inspiring, but I benefitted the most
from going through the repertoire with him.
He's a wonderful musical coach. I inten¬
tionally scheduled the last lesson on Friday
mornings, because Friday afternoons I
would always talk him into sneaking me
into the Symphony where I could listen to
the concert. I'd always like to go through
the repertoire of that week with him and
then hear him play it. That was really a
great experience. Vic has been a tremen¬
dous influence on my life, as well as a
really great friend.

AB: Did you concentrate on timpani or did
you work on everything?

NG: It was mostly timpani, but I also played
a lot of mallets. I played the Kurka, Mil¬
haud, and Creston concertos, but I only
played marimba when I had to. I was more
interested in playing xylophone. And I was
the only one at school who practiced bells,
because I realized I would probably be
playing bells more than anything. I had no
intention of becoming a marimba soloist. I
used to shy away from practicing on the
marimba because I wanted to practice on
the instruments that I would be playing on
professionally. That has paid off because I
do play a good deal of xylophone and bells,
and I have also played marimba profes¬
sionally.

AB: When was that?

NG: In 1983, I took a year off from all my
free-lance activities to go on the road with
the Broadway production of The Pirates Of
Penzance. It has an incredible mallet part
that far exceeds any concerto I know. It's
two hours of solid playing.

AB: How did you get the part?

NG: It's a funny story. They had trouble
finding someone to go on the road who
could play the book. Karen Ervin had played
it for a while and then left. My name had
come up, so when they called me, I told

them I would do it. I went down to pick up
the music at a place on Broadway. The
clerk handed me the book, I opened it up
to look at it, and then handed it back,
saying, "You gave me the piano book by
mistake." The clerk replied, "No, that's the
mallet book!" And I only had two weeks
before the first rehearsal! I literally locked
myself in Jon Hass's loft, which he let me
use, and practiced eight hours a day. I
wanted to know it cold by the first re¬
hearsal.

AB: What was the part like?

NG: The setup included a 4 1/2-octave ma¬
rimba, a 3 1/2-octave xylophone, orchestra
bells, and two octaves of chromatic boo-
bams. And the part was non-stop. Not only
was it technically demanding, it was writ¬
ten piano-style, utilizing both the treble and
bass clefs. They put all the string parts into
the percussion part, so I was playing the
bass, cello, viola, and violin lines!

AB: How many people were in the en¬
semble?

NG: There were 13 people in the band,
including two synthesizer players, some
winds, and three percussionists—myself, a
drummer, and another percussionist play¬
ing chromatic timpani parts! It was tremen¬
dously demanding. That was a period when
my mallet chops were at an all-time high,
just from playing two hours of mallets seven
times a week. It was a great learning expe¬
rience.

AB: What was it like on the road?

NG: We traveled all over the country for
almost a full year. I had just started Grover

Enterprises, and I took the opportunity to
show my products all around the country.
We would usually be in one place for a
week or two. We would play a show in the
evening, and then I would spend the rest of
my time visiting the local music stores. If
there was a university in the area, I would
find out when the percussion ensemble met
and then go talk to the director. I actually
did a combination clinic: I talked about the
mallet parts in the show, since it was so
unusual, and then I spent some time intro¬
ducing my products. I had a really good
time.

AB: How did you become involved with
the Boston Opera?

NG: At that time it was more or less a pick¬
up orchestra. They asked the timpanist, John
Grimes, who they should get. Since he en¬
joyed working with me, and since Sarah
Caldwell liked my playing, I got the job as
principal percussionist. John and I started
working together and developed a great
relationship, which lasted for seven years
with the Opera.

AB: How is playing with the Opera differ¬
ent than playing with the Symphony?

NG: The Opera is completely different,
because the orchestra is an accompanist to
the singers. I think this is something every
musician needs to learn. Music is an ex¬
pressive art form, and the greatest expres¬
sive musical form is singing. You always
hear musicians talking about "bel canto,"
which is a singing quality. My colleague
John Grimes is a very expressive timpanist,
and we would often discuss this idea to-

Photo by Kevin Hickson

MODERN DRUMMER

gether. I believe in exciting percussion play¬
ing, but I had to learn to tone it down,
because people are conning to the opera to
hear Beverly Sills, not Neil Grover. So I
learned to have excitement in my playing
but yet learn to accompany.

AB: Sort of a controlled excitement.

NC: That's a good way to put it. It's like an
inner intensity in the playing. This was a
repertoire I was unfamiliar with except for
a few famous operas like La Boheme. We
went through a lot of repertoire, and I
learned a lot of music.

AB: There are many difficult percussion
parts in opera literature that most people
don't consider part of the "percussion rep¬
ertoire."

NG: Right. Carmen has some very difficult
tambourine parts that are not in the orches¬
tral suite. We do La Boheme on tour with
just one percussionist and timpani, and we
cover almost all the parts ourselves. It's a
juggling act within a multiple percussion
setup!

John Grimes and I would discuss every
aspect of working together—from match¬
ing tone colors to phrasing together. I'd
never worked with someone for an ex¬
tended period of time—in this case seven
years—where we tried to work as one unit.
We insisted that all the other percussionists
work together as one unit, not as individ¬
ual players. We would discuss cymbal col¬

ors and timpani colors. We would use dif¬
ferent bass drums for different pieces.

AB: You also play for the Boston Ballet.
How is that different?

NG: The ballet orchestra accompanies the
dancers, and the percussion is used mainly
in the fast numbers. It's more aggressive
playing because you don't have to worry
about covering the singers. Plus the music
is more rhythmic and driving.

AB: Do you play mainly percussion or tim¬
pani?

NG: As I was principal percussionist in the
Opera, I went to the Ballet as a percussion¬
ist. And now I share the timpani playing.
AB: Is it a smaller orchestra than the Op¬
era?

NG: The Ballet uses anywhere from 30 to
40 people, whereas the Opera uses a full
complement. So it's a different type of ex¬
perience. I'm still learning a lot of the bal¬
let repertoire, which is different. I found
the opera repertoire more interesting, be¬
cause sometimes the ballet music is back¬
ground for the dancers.

AB: And then you do 48 performances of
The Nutcracker*. How do you do it?

NG: After a while you don't even open
your music; you just know it. We have to
try to entertain ourselves. This year I put up
a little mirror on the side of the pit so I
could see the dancers every once in a while.
Even if it gets monotonous, you realize you

have a job to do, and you have to do the
best you can, consistently.

AB: Is it different playing in the pit than on
stage? For example, the audience is not
looking directly at you but rather at the
action on stage.

NG: In that aspect, it's more relaxed. But
the projection is totally different. For in¬
stance, the instruments don't project as
much as they do on stage. You can play out
more in the pit, but since part of the pit is
enclosed, it's sometimes deafening down
there. You have to be careful because you
don't want to work in a situation that's
going to damage your hearing. I prefer to
play on a stage, because certainly I like the
attention paid to the musicians, and you
have better projection, and you can hear
better. It's hard to hear what's going on
across the pit. So there are different bal¬
ance problems. In ballet and opera you
have fewer strings than in a full symphony,
and consequently the brass and percussion
have to alter their dynamics. My forte in
the pit is going to be different than my forte
on stage, just as a forte for Mozart is going
to be different than a forte for Mahler. It's
all relative, and you have to use your ears
and compensate.

AB: So far we have discussed your career
as a performing percussionist, but there's
another side to you, too—that of a busi¬
nessman. When did you form Grover En¬
terprises?

NG: I never really decided to start a busi¬
ness. In 1979 I couldn't find a good tam¬
bourine, so I decided I was going to try to
make one. I took apart all my tambourines
and started experimenting on the jingles. I
hammered them, threw them in my barbe-
que and cooked them, poured water on
them—I tried everything! [laughs] I finally
made a jingle I liked and put it on a shell I
had. One of my friends said, "That's pretty
nice. Could you make me one?" At that
time I wasn't doing a lot of work, so I
agreed to make him one. The next thing I
know, somebody else asked for one, and
then someone else. So I made a few. Then I
got a call from Lone Star Percussion in
Texas, and they wanted to buy my tambou¬
rines. I said that I wasn't really in the tam¬
bourine business, but they told me, "You
are now!" [laughs] And all of a sudden I'm
in business.

Over the years it has evolved to where
I'm making my own shell and my own
jingles. It used to take me three hours to
hammer a set of the original jingles. My
favorite tambourine is the beryllium cop¬
per, because its jingles are unique. To me,
it's the ultimate sound. There are occasions
where I'll use the German silver if I need a
little extra articulation, or the phospher
bronze if I want a darker sound. I feel a
percussionist should have a variety of col¬
ors at his or her disposal—the way a painter
has more than just one or two primary
colors on his palette.

AB: You are also well known for your Su¬
per Overtone triangle. How did that de¬
velop?

MODERN DRUMMER

NG: I had the assistance of MIT. One day I
went down to their acoustics and vibration
lab and asked them how I could make a
triangle with a lot of overtones. A couple of
students were intrigued, so we worked to¬
gether, and that meant I had the greatest
research facility in the world at my dis¬
posal! That was my "research and develop¬
ment" of triangles.

AB: Did you try to copy the sound of a
triangle you had previously heard?

NG: No. There was only one triangle that I
really liked, and that was an old Ludwig
triangle owned by the Boston Symphony.
Charlie Smith told me that Sy Sternberg,
who used to be a percussionist with the
Boston, went through hundreds of triangles
to pick that unique one out. Charlie lent it
to me, and I took it down to MIT and had it
analyzed. Most people don't realize that
there's more to a triangle than just metal
and bending. I started studying metallurgy
and asking a lot of questions until I came
up with just the right one. I'm still trying to
figure out what to do with the hundreds of
trial triangles I have sitting in my base¬
ment!

AB: How would you describe the sound of
your triangle?

NG: I tried to get away from having one
pointed sound. If you had to graph the
sound, instead of one little line, it would
be a whole spectrum of overtones. I want
to be able to play my triangle for ten differ¬
ent people, ask them what pitch they heard,
and get ten different answers. There should
be a real blending of a lot of different fre¬
quencies. The difference between a bell
and a triangle is that a bell should have
one predominant fundamental with as few
overtones as possible. A triangle should be
the opposite; you want to mute the funda¬
mental and have as many overtones pre¬
dominate as possible.

AB: You make both a 6" and a 9" triangle.
Do you have a preference between the
two?

NG: I had originally developed a 9" tri¬
angle because I thought that was a proper
orchestral size. Then a lot of people began
requesting smaller triangles that were a little
lighter with a higher fundamental pitch.
Actually, the 6" size has become the more
popular model. People who I never de¬
signed things for are using them. I've even
heard of marching bands and drum & bugle
corps using my triangles. I can't believe
that! But it makes me feel good.

AB: One of your newest developments is
an orchestral snare drum. Can you describe
what makes it special?

NG: It's a 6 1/2 x 14 fiberglass drum that has
some unique features, like nodal venting.
You have to have some escape for the air,
so they have traditionally just drilled an air
hole in the center of the shell. I experi¬
mented with different placements of the
hole, and found the best place to vent the
air is near the nodal point in the shell,
which is about 1/5 ofthewayup—the same
as a marimba bar. That allows air to escape
quicker and get back into the drum quicker.

And now I've given away my trade secret!
But the drum is more responsive, and the
Wolf cable snares give it a darker sound. I
tested it in the. orchestra and it sounded
like a million dollars.

AB: You are one of a growing number of
small percussion manufacturers in the coun¬
try making specialized products.

NG: Right. I'm trying to fill a niche. A lot of
the larger companies, while they started
with high quality products for percussion¬
ists, have long since abandoned us. They
have moved on to making drumsets and
importing things from overseas. The seri¬
ous percussion market is relatively small in
relation to the drumset or rock market. So
there are a lot of companies like mine that
are growing and filling the void.

AB: The rise of the small manufacturer.

NG: That's right. My business started out of
necessity. I couldn't find a tambourine I
wanted. If there had been great tambou¬
rines on the market then, I probably
wouldn't have gotten into it. It's a lot of
work, but I love doing it. It's an honor for
me to think that my products are being
used all over the world.

AB: There is a person behind your prod¬
ucts.

NG: That's the important part. I'm the sales¬
man, the manufacturer, the shipping clerk.
The worst thing that can happen is that you
might get my answering machine instead

of me! [laughs] If someone has a question,
they can get in touch with me, and I'll try
to answer it to the best of my ability. I put
my name on each product, and I take a lot
of pride in that. I'm not doing it out of ne¬
cessity; I enjoy doing it. I want people to
feel that my products contribute something
to their performance. If I can accomplish
that goal, then I know I'm successful.

AB: What is your "real" job? Is playing
your job and the business your hobby, or
vice-versa?

NG: No, I would say that I have two sepa¬
rate lives. I still do a lot of playing, al¬
though not as much as I was doing. But I
spend many hours every day in my busi¬
ness. Many times I've stayed up all night
working. And I'm always trying to think of
new things.

AB: How do you divide your time?

NG: I probably average at least 40 hours a
week at the business. Some weeks during
the Pops season I'm playing concerts six or
seven times a week, plus two or three re¬
hearsals, and I still do the business. Some¬
times I don't have a concert all week, and
then I'll devote all my time to the business.
I'm doing a little bit of a juggling act right
now, but I love playing and I love making
products. This is the unique combination
that makes me me!

TERRY R0ZZI0

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REMO

MODERN DRUMMER

itjmfjniifr t onf mul'd /'un: J;

"I got to know and like the work of a drummer by the name of
Tin Can Allen. He played a kazoo and used a tin can to get a 'wah-
wah' sound that gassed audiences. Like many other good drum¬
mers, Tin Can was a showman."

Hampton replaced Allen with Paul Howard & the Quality Sere¬
nades. The band worked at L.A.'s Club Alabam, the Kentucky
Club on Central Avenue, and the exclusive Monmartre Club in
Hollywood, and recorded for Victor. Hamp made his first record¬
ings in 1929 and early 1930 with the Serenaders. According to
jazz historian Stanley Dance, the Serenaders "were a cut above
the many others catering to the teeming nightlife of the Cold
Coast." The band was made up of top players, including trombon¬
ist Lawrence Brown, who became internationally known and was
widely admired during his long stint with the Duke Ellington
Orchestra.

Hampton's association with Les Hite helped establish his name.
The drummer first played with the Elkins-Hite Sextet. But his most
important job up to that point was with the 12-piecer headed by
Hite: "We worked a lot on L.A.'s South Side. Clubs and organiza¬
tions, many of them for women, put on dances almost every night.
And the jobs paid well. Gladys Riddle, who later became my wife,
was a member of one of the organizations, the Antiques Club. She
first saw me with Hite at one of those affairs.

"The word got around about the band. We had our thing to¬
gether. We played good music with a sense of interpretation. Our
library included Ellington compositions, some Casa Loma charts,
our own things, and stock arrangements. One night, a guy who
worked at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club in Culver City—a top
place—heard us and told Sebastian that the band was very lively
and swinging. We got an audition, and Sebastian hired us immedi¬
ately to play on a show with the Mills Brothers.

"The band was a hit. A lot of musicians came to hear us. I met
Charlie Barnet, who later became a great bandleader, during this
engagement. He was at the Cotton club every night.

"The club was a great showcase," Hamp explained. "Like the
Cotton Club in New York, Sebastian's had big shows. There were
'pony' chorus girls, who did the fast dances, and tall models, too.
They were really beautiful girls. Sebastian hired the best talent.
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, a star of The Jack Benny Show on
radio and TV later on, was one of the headliners at the place. And I
remember working with Rutledge and Taylor there. They were
fantastic dancers.

"In 1930, following the Mills Brothers, Louis Armstrong opened
at the club, and we were held over. The management wanted the
Hite band to back Louis because we could read real good and cut
the show. It was a tremendous thrill for me to be working with
Louis. He had been my man for so long.

"I wasn't the only one who found Louis exciting. All kinds of
show people and musicians, nightclubbers, and just plain folks
crowded the club every night during the nine months Louis was
the headliner. And from what I was told, listeners up and down the
Coast and into the Midwest looked forward to our broadcasts.
Louis was a favorite from Vancouver to Tijuana and as far East as
maybe St. Louis. Those late-night remote broadcasts thrilled a
whole lot of people. The reason? Louis's playing was unbelievable.
There was so much melody, so much going on in his solos.

"I was playing drums most of the time back then. But I did have
one feature number on orchestra bells with Hite, 'Song Of The
Islands.' I played Louis's solo from the record and it tickled him.

Louis encouraged me to play behind him when he sang and
suggested I do more numbers on the bells. Later we did 'Rockin'
Chair' in the show.

"Louis and I became great friends during the engagement. I was
his music librarian, and he used my little Ford car. Hey, the guy
was so great and did so much for me. He was the one who gave
me my start on vibes.

"One afternoon in the fall of 1930, we went in to record for
Okeh. We had done some good sides for the label a few months
earlier. I played drums on things like Tm A Ding Dong Daddy
From Dumas,' 'Confessin,' and 'Body And Soul.'This time around,
Louis spotted a vibraphone in the corner of the recording studio.
'Can you play it?' he asked. Being a young blood with some
confidence, I said, 'Yeah, I can play it.' It had the same keyboard
as the xylophone, and I was familiar with that. Louis said, 'Play it!'
And I did, on 'Memories Of You.' Eubie Blake had sent Louis an
arrangement of the tune. I played the introduction on the record
and also behind him when he sang."

Hampton's interest in vibes progressively grew. Though he loved
drums and earned his living playing them, he wanted to excel on
this new instrument. Gladys Riddle, by then his sweetheart, sensed
this was a direction he ought to follow, and encouraged him.
Hamp set up the vibes at home and practiced endlessly, even on
days when he didn't really feel like it.

His need to be the complete musician, along with Gladys's
prodding, motivated him to study piano, harmony, and counter¬
point at the University of Southern California, on and off, over an
18-month period. Hampton came to know exactly how music was
organized. In addition, his training sharpened his ear. It was no
mystery to him where music was going, or how the chords moved.
He couldn't be fooled if someone shifted gears and changed keys
on him.

As Hamp became increasingly proficient on vibes, his need to
play them on the job at Sebastian's increased. "But Les Hite didn't
approve, and some of the cats in the band agreed with him,"
Hamp said. "They'd all insist, 'Just play the drums, man!' So I left
Hite and formed my own band. As a leader, I could play all the
instruments: drums, vibes, piano."

Soon after Louis Armstrong returned to the East, Hamp took his
new band, which he co-led with trumpeter Buck Clayton, into the
Cotton Club. Sebastian wanted him at the club because he felt
Hampton could draw crowds. During the Armstrong engagement,
Hampton had attracted attention with his flashy drum solos. He
would start on drums, then proceed to play on the walls and tables
of the nitery. It was good show business. A booking agent by the
name of Jack Hamilton also had great faith in Hampton's abilities
as a musician and showman, and booked him up and down the
West Coast.

"It was a good band," Hampton said. "I hired Don Byas, a great
alto player from Muskogee, Oklahoma, and put him on tenor. He
did most of the charts for the group. Teddy Buckner was on
trumpet, Herschel Evans on tenor sax, Caughey Roberts played sax
and clarinet, the pianist was Henry Prince, and Johnny Miller, who
later played with the Nat 'King' Cole Trio, was our bass player.
Herschel and Buck left after a little while; Buck went to Shanghai,
China, to play in a club called the Canidrome, and Herschel
joined Basie."

All the while, Hampton continued to develop as a drummer and
vibes player. "Some people had a strong effect on me. One was a
drummer by the name of Alton Redd. He had some good ideas and
used to work with bands in the movie studios, creating 'atmos¬
phere' on the set. I paid very close attention to Sonny Greer, with
Duke; he was a great showman, a very personable cat, and had an
ability to make wonderful 'colors' for Duke's band. He and Duke
were a great team.

"Cuba Austin, the drummer with McKinney's Cotton Pickers,
was another great showman; I learned some tricks from him. The
black tap dancers certainly were a major source of ideas for me.
The little 'riffs' that drummers in the 1930s and 1940s played on
the snare drum—many of them came from the black tap dancers.

"There really was no one around on vibes when I began. A few
people played xylophone, but mostly for effects. Red Norvo and

MODERN DRUMMER

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Adrian Rollini made an impression in the 1930s. Red concentrated
on xylophone; he didn't begin on vibes until the early 1940s. And
Adrian played a lot of other instruments in addition to vibes.

"But I didn't listen to them," Hamp insisted. "My models were
instrumentalists like pianist Earl Mines, tenor man Coleman Hawk¬
ins and, of course, Louis Armstrong. I brought Louis's ideas to the
vibraphone, later adding stuff I had learned from the other guys.
Somehow I got credit for being the pioneer on vibes. I guess I got
there first.

"Showmanship has always helped me. I must say that," Hamp
commented. Sometimes accused of being too concerned about
audiences, Hampton comes from a generation that played theaters
and clubs—did shows. A musician had to hold his "spot" in a
presentation, or it would go to someone else. Jazz and popular
music were show business. "I became involved in showmanship
so I could communicate better with audiences. And if you did
things that pleased the people, there was more of a demand for
your services. Showmanship is still a factor in what I do."

It was Hampton's capacity as a musician, however, that ulti¬
mately made him a major star. Benny Goodman was the key to his
future. Hamp's lady, Gladys, set the stage, though it didn't seem so
at the time. She became ill and had to be operated on. She went
home to stay with her mother during the recovery period, and
Hampton took his band off the road. He went to work in San
Pedro, in order to be close by.

He did so well there—"I practiced all the time and stayed in top
form"—that the owner moved him and his group down to his
place on Sixth and Main in L.A. called the Paradise. It was a club
where sailors stopped for those last few beers before returning to
base in Long Beach. Hampton became very successful at the
Paradise. The management was motivated to take the sawdust off
the floor, put white linen cloths on the tables, and charge a $1.50
fee to get in. There were lines around the block. As a result, Benny
Goodman heard about Hamp. But he wouldn't have if Gladys
hadn't been ill and Hamp, responding to this, had not come off the
road.

"One night John Hammond, who helped Benny in so many
ways, brought Benny, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson to the club,"
Hamp explained. "I wasn't aware the guys were in the place until I
heard some unusual playing. The clarinet work was out of sight.
Then I thought to myself, 'Wow, Tyree [Glenn]—who filled in for
me on drums—is really swinging.' Of course, it was Gene. By the
time Teddy soloed, I knew something really great was going on.
The four of us went on for two hours."

Goodman knew he had a good thing. He brought the quartet
into the recording studio the very next day, August 26, 1936. And
the first Goodman Quartet sides—"Dinah," "Exactly Like You,"
and "Vibraphone Blues"—were made, the latter two featuring
Hampton's vocals. But it was his work as a vibraphonist that
brought him immediate recognition. Hampton played with un¬
usual facility and flair, and made the music work for him. The
training and constant practice paid major dividends.

Goodman asked him to join his band, to come East to play on
the Camel Caravan radio show. Hamp accepted, making only one
specification. He'd come if he could bring Gladys. "Of course,"
B.C. said, and Hamp drove East in Gladys's white Chevrolet,
marrying the lady along the way in Yuma, Arizona.

Hampton's relationship with Goodman, who was a rather diffi¬
cult man, was extremely positive. The clarinetist gave him every
chance, pushing him into the foreground.

As Hamp has told me on several occasions, "Working with
Benny was an important thing for me, and for black musicians in
general. Black and white players hadn't appeared together in pub¬
lic before Teddy Wilson and I began working with B.C. In fact,
Teddy appeared as an intermission pianist with Benny, collaborat¬
ing with him and Gene only on the trio recordings, before we got
the quartet together. Looking back, I feel honored to have been a
part of that dramatic change. It helped make possible what hap¬
pened later. Benny should receive all the credit in the world; he
treated us great. Gladys and I traveled in the room right next to his
on trains, and he insisted that Teddy and I get the best accommo¬
dations in hotels."

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Being in what was considered "the big time," Hamp was on
intimate terms with the best drummers. He learned from them, and
they from him. His favorite was Dave Tough, who replaced Gene
Krupa in the Goodman band in March of 1938.

"Dave was the greatest timekeeper we ever had in the business,"
Hampton said. "Sid Catlett was fine, so was Cozy [Cole]. And
Chick Webb had this marvelous rhythmic feeling in his playing
and was a great soloist. But Davey was fantastic to have in a band
or small group. He gave you so much freedom because his time
was so great, and because he responded to all the important things
that were happening.

"In the quartet, he was dynamite on those last choruses. He had
a way of playing the cymbals. The sound swelled, the pulse
grabbed hold, but the time never moved. Only he could do this.
He'd sit there so correct and straight. And it all came out so natural
from his hands and foot—what a wonderful foot!

"Dave hated playing the big solo numbers, like 'Sing, Sing,
Sing.' He told Benny to let me play that stuff, that it was in my
groove. Dave wasn't flashy or too technical. But every band he
was with rose to the top because he got to the roots of drums."

We then turned the conversation to Gene Krupa. "He was the
miracle drummer-boy," Hamp chuckled. "He had great technique
and did things most people had never seen or heard before. A
great showman, he had a way of reaching audiences—the way he
used his arms, chewed gum, the movements of his body, how his
hair fell in his face. The people, particularly the girls, went for that.
Gene was a great drummer. He made everyone believe what he
did on drums. He was very professional."

During the four-year association with Goodman, Hampton not
only recorded and played with Goodman, but cut in the neighbor¬
hood of 90 sides for Victor with musicians in his peer group.
Among the players with whom he was associated were Charlie
Christian, Ziggy Elman, Jess Stacy, Vido Musso, and Allen Reuss
from the Goodman band; Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Law¬
rence Brown, and Sonny Greer out of the Ellington organization;
and Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Hinton, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Web¬
ster, Chu Berry, Freddie Green, Zutty Singelton, Nat "King" Cole,
Sid Catlett, and Cozy Cole. These recordings, perhaps more than
any other assemblage of Hampton records, define how well he
played each of his instruments. On such numbers as "Drum Stomp,"
"Gin For Christmas," and "I Know That You Know," he drummed
up a storm. His enthusiastic, strong pulse uplifted his colleagues.
His solos, notable for a swinging use of rudiments, great speed,
and instinctive sense of development, certainly were the envy of
young drum students. Hamp simultaneously was flashy and musi¬
cal, though not quite as subtle as some other drummers.

In September 1940, after the Goodman band broke up because
of the leader's trouble with his back, Hamp decided to go out on
his own—with B.G.'s blessing. "When I formed my own band,"
Hamp said, "I hoped I would bring to it the sort of discipline that
Benny did. He was a tough leader and got good results."

In the new Hampton band were such future stars as tenor
saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, trumpeter Ernie Royal, guitarist Irving
Ashby, pianist Milt Buckner, and drummer Lee Young, among
others. A parade of excellent musicians passed through the band
over the years, including Dexter Gordon, Shadow Wilson, Quincy
Jones, Charles Mingus, Joe Newman, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer,
Al Grey, Pepper Adams, Arnett Cobb, Jerome Richardson, Wes and
Monk Montgomery, Johnny Griffin...the list goes on endlessly.
And lest we forget, Dinah Washington and Joe Williams sang with
the Hampton band.

The band has gone through a number of phases and continues
to evolve to this day, with Hampton as the central focus. It moved
from swing, to bop, to Latin, to rhythm & blues, culminating in the
present Hampton 18-piecer that concerns itself primarily with
contemporary jazz—though Hamp, ever the audience-pleaser, never
turns down requests for the Hampton hits like "Flying Home" and
"Hamp's Boogie Woogie."

An innovator as a band leader, Hamp introduced electric bass
and organ to big bands. Free and open, he has allowed his musi¬
cians to be expressive; he learns from them, and they get more
than a little going to his "school." His work as a drummer remains

MODERN DRUMMER

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rooted in the traditions of mainstream jazz, though his instincts
and training make communication possible with younger players.

Lionel Hampton is best revealed as an artist on live recordings.
A key Hampton performance on vibes is his rendition of "Star¬
dust," mostly in double time, from a 1947 "Just Jazz" concert in
California. I also suggest the recording of the Esquire Ail-American
Award Concert at Carnegie Hall. Both albums are on the old
Decca label.

"Stardust," an example of Hampton's ability to remake a piece
of music, is permeated with his personality and various jazz sub¬
tleties. He has added a lot to the original material without sacrific¬
ing its basic quality, shape, and message. One senses when listen¬
ing to this extended improvisation that Hampton digs more and
more deeply into himself as the solo develops. Often one gets the
impression he is carrying on a conversation between the material
and himself.

The Carnegie Hall recording indicates how powerful and natu¬
ral the Hampton band was at its peak and how important its leader
was to its impact. In its best moments, it projected an enviable
sense of affirmation, immediacy, and love.

The recordings Hamp has made over the years, from the
Goodman quartet items to those he taped with Art Tatum and
Buddy Rich, remain contemporary. Yes, Hamp is linked to swing,
but his training and capacity to learn have allowed him to move
along. At 80, he is anything but dated.

He frequently gets out to hear musicians, and cites numerous
drummers as favorites, such as Duffy Jackson, Joel Rosenblatt,
Frank Dunlop, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones—"who plays counterpoint
with himself—and such former Hampton drummers as Shadow
Wilson, Freddie Radcliffe, Alan Dawson, Ellis Bartee, and his
current drummer, Jimmy Ford.

"Jimmy plays some miraculous things, using his hands and feet
in a very creative way. I practice with him all the time, and we
have come up with very interesting triplet ideas that we use on
gigs."

For Hamp, swing is the thing. Without the beat, he says, the

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music is not jazz as he knows it. "The drummers that have come
up since the 1950s are too involved with intricate rhythms—one
rhythm in the right hand, another in the left, something else hap¬
pening with the feet. In some cases, the swing is left out. And that's
unfortunate, because horns can't really swing on their own.

"I believe in adventure when it comes to playing drums, but the
time feeling and the sense of movement have to be there. Drum¬
mers don't use the bass drum enough these days. The bass drum is
there to play; it's not an ornament. It adds to the sense of swing.

"One thing really bothers me about some of the young drum¬
mers: They play too much, get in the way when a soloist is
expressing himself. A drummer should take the spotlight when he
has a solo. The rest of the time, his job is to be supportive and to
swing.

"At one point in the 1970s, I thought drummers were lost,"
Hamp said. "The swing was gone. It didn't seem important to the
guys coming along. I stood in front of several of my bands and
wondered what was happening. And then things started to turn
around.

"The best of the jazz players—drummers and horn men— swing.
Dizzy swings and gives you a good melodic line when he plays;
Bird always swung on his horn. The better young cats incorporate
the feeling in their work. It's a must, you understand?

"I like Max [Roach]; he's the greatest of the modern drummers—
a master. Max admired Chick Webb; he came up with the Benny
Carter band. He has a good foundation. I played with him last year
at the Jackie Robinson festival in Connecticut, and we got down
with it. They were really finger poppin' around the park. I told
Max, 'You haven't forgotten your roots.'

"I'm encouraged by what I hear now. Drummers and all players
are returning to the tradition. Young musicians, in particular, are
learning from the old masters, reinterpreting what they've done,
and going on from there.

"I've lived through a lot in jazz," Hamp concluded. "But my
love for the music and playing remains strong. I look forward to
every day. I'm busy, still traveling all over this country and around

the world, still bringing music to the people. I tell the young
musicians, 'You have to give the people out there the things that
they want. They must be considered! You don't have to be com¬
mercial; just understand that the people who come to see and hear
you don't know as much about music as the players and compos-
ersdo.'

I'm involved with new ideas; they excite me. But I always give
my audiences something they can take home with them. When I
do a concert or a show, I play a couple of things for the fans and
then a few numbers for myself. It works out better in the long run."

Hamp got up just before I left, and played me a new CD that
featured the original Benny Goodman Quartet. As we listened to
Gene, Teddy, Benny—and Hamp, of course—he seemed to fill up
with feeling. After three numbers he took my arm, looked very
intently at me, and said, "Even though a lot of musicians are great
today, they don't have that sort of magic in their playing. I don't
know what it was. Maybe the times and chemistry were special. I
was young. The music was happening. Who knows?"

The words came in a rush. The memories obviously were rel¬
ished. A climactic moment of our two-hour interview, it closed the
book on the past, and we talked about what he had coming up in
the future. He wandered back to the vibes and played some after
the CD had run its course. We had come full circle.

Hamp insisted that he wants to keep going and play and com¬
pose music that is meaningful to him. A busy man who has little
time for leisure, Hampton obviously is kept young by the constant
activity. "I wake up every day and look forward to what might
happen," he said. "There are so many possibilities. I could write
another standard like 'Midnight Sun,' or get started on a suite
along the lines of the 'King David Suite.' I could play my instru¬
ments better than I did yesterday. I always have the feeling that
each day will offer me a good musical experience.

"My responsibility? To remain in good form. When you leave,
I'm going to practice—some vibes, drums, perhaps a little piano. I
never can tell what'll happen when I go to work in the evening.
That's what makes it all worthwhile."

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Solo Fills And Figures

MUSIC KEY

In the last article in this series, we looked at fills
and the importance of reading ahead in order to
execute the fill and set up the figure properly. In
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signed to further develop your counting and im¬
provising skills.

In my teaching experience, I have found that
many chart reading problems stem from the ina¬
bility to count and play simultaneously. One exercise I have found
useful is to improvise a solo through an exercise rather than
playing time. This challenges your improvising and creative abili¬
ties and also helps to further your counting ability.

In previous articles, we have looked at various dotted quarter-
note figures. I have explained how to play those figures with and
without fills. In this article we will look at how to expand fills to
such an extent that you are indeed soloing through the entire
exercise rather than playing time on the cymbal.

Example A is a two-measure phrase that we will be referring to
later in this article.

In previous columns, I have discussed how you should play
these types of figures with or without a fill on a drum chart. Once
you feel comfortable with each method, try creating your own

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STRIVING FOR ACOUSTICAL PERFECTION

solo as you repeat these two bars. Example B indicates how you
can begin this procedure, rather than just playing time on the
cymbal. This is a simple solo being played between the figures. As
always, continue playing your hi-hat on beats 2 and 4.

This solo is written out entirely on the snare drum and contains
accent and sticking patterns very common in jazz. Repeat ex¬
ample B exactly as it is written until you are comfortable with each
sticking, and then try improvising your own solo. Example C indi¬
cates a similar sticking and accent pattern applied to different
drums.

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Use the patterns in examples B and C to stir your imagination
and begin the improvising process. Remember that they represent
only two solo ideas out of countless possibilities and are designed
to inspire your own creativity. Playing these solos exactly as writ¬
ten should be only your first goal. Your main objective should be
to simultaneously challenge your own creativity and counting
ability. In these exercises, your ability to improvise a creative solo
is as important as your ability to play the figures properly. When
you improvise, be sure to continue counting so that you can con¬
sistently set off and play the dotted quarter-note figures accurately.
Always try to be original with your solos and vary your ideas as
much as possible.

Examples D and E offer two more ideas. Begin by playing the
figures with your right hand, then use your left.

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Once you are comfortable soloing over the two-bar form shown
in example A, try soloing over the four-bar form of example F.

The following four-bar exercises are also designed to further
challenge your counting and soloing abilities. Once you have
mastered the procedure outlined so far, you may apply the same
principles to these four-bar exercises in the following ways: first, to
each measure; second, to a combination of any two consecutive
measures; third, to a combination of any four consecutive meas¬
ures; and fourth, to the whole exercise.

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You will find that improvising over these longer phrases places
increased demands on your counting ability. Your goal should be
to develop your soloing and counting abilities to the extent that it
becomes easy to read all 20 bars (examples F and C) consecu¬
tively. However, do not forget that the exercises I have outlined in
this article are designed to improve your counting and concentra¬
tion while reading a drum chart. When you play a solo or use a
fill, you must never lose sight of your primary objective: til

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MODERN DRUMMER

by Adam Budofsky

Vater Percussion

With all the attention given to electronic
percussion these days, it's easy to forget
that, in most cases, the sound of drumming
still actually starts with the simplest of the
drummer's tools: the wooden drumstick.
Vater Percussion hasn't forgotten, though,
and pride themselves in concentrating their
energies on taking the best of what nature
has to offer—mainly in the form of the
highest quality hickory and maple—and
making a precision stick.

Starting in the back room of Jack Adams'
drumshop in Boston, where a grand total
of eight pair of drumsticks a day were hand¬
made for the store's preferred customers,
Vater today manufactures more than 3,000
pair a day, respectably competing in a very
tight industry.

Like many companies in the percussion
industry, Vater is a family business, and is
in fact the product of the merging of two
musical merchandizing families: President
Joan Vater's father was the aforementioned
Jack Adams, and her husband is Clarence
Vater, founder of Vater Percussion and for-

The Vater Staff

merly of the C. Vater Music Center. Joan
and Clarence's two sons, Ronnie and Alan,
then decided to join the company, and
along with some industrious and inventive
employees, proceeded to slowly build a
drumstick manufacturing plant almost from
scratch.

"You can't go into any store and buy
equipment to make drumsticks with," says
Clarence Vater. "You have to find some¬
thing and modify it, or design it yourself."
Because so many of the machines used in
the Vater factory are, in fact, the only ones
of their kind that exist, secrecy is obviously
of the utmost importance. Alan Vater says
that nobody outside of the company has
actually seen the inside of the plant before
now, and, needless to say, photographs are
only permitted of those few machines (such
as the back-knife lathe that first cuts the
wooden dowels) that weren't designed by
Vater employees.

This do-it-yourself philosophy permeates
almost every aspect of Vater Percussion,
from the homemade racks where the var¬
nished sticks dry, to the moving of the en¬
tire company—machines and all—by the
employees to their new headquarters in
Holbrook, Massachusetts. A great deal of
Vater's success can surely be attributed to
their ideas and persistence, and theirs alone.
In fact, Vater's sales department, which serv¬
ices about 300 private shops and several
brand name drum companies that market
Vater sticks as their own, really isn't a sales
department at all. Calling customers, carry¬
ing out correspondence, ordering the wood,
traveling to trade shows—all this is carried
out by Alan Vater. A friendly, outspoken,
truly motivated man, Alan gets visibly ex¬
cited when talking about his company and
about drumsticks in general, and has an
obvious pride in the family business. "I
think we've carried it this far on our own,"
he says, "and I think that I have more of a
vision of what I want and of what my cus¬
tomers want than what any marketing per¬
son could tell me. Maybe I will develop a
concept and tell a marketing person what
to do with it. But a lot of outsiders? No, I
don't think they understand what we're
trying to do here. Some people ask me,
'Why don't you let more of those bad sticks
through?' And I tell them, 'Get it through
your head: It's not the money; it's the prod¬
uct.' Because you can sell a lot of product,
but down the road, people can say, 'You
know, these sticks aren't so good.' First of
all, we don't want to be the biggest, we
want to be the best. Second, we want to
have the best stick at the best price; we sell
our sticks at over 50 cents less than brand
names—direct. We don't want to have the
best stick and have it looked upon as a
Rolls Royce."

To Vater, making their sticks "the best"
means starting with the proper raw materi¬
als. Vater was recently picked out of over
200,000 companies by the Small Business
Administration as Small Business of the Year
in Massachusetts. The honor—which in¬
cluded several days spent in Washington
D.C. and a speech by the President—was
due to the company's excellence in several
areas, including finding and using the
proper raw materials. In Vater's case, that
material is hickory, a subject Alan is eager
to elaborate on. "Hickory mainly grows
from Illinois right down the Mississippi
River. It only grows in North America, and
our sources are from Tennessee, Arkansas,
Kentucky, Pennsylvania.... We have to have
different sources because, as we grow, we
have to find more wood. That became a
problem with us; you can find hickory, but

we only get the real good hickory—the
best wood. We work really tightly with the
people who do it for us.

"We mainly run hickory because, in the
States, that's what drummers are looking
for. In Canada, maple is popular because
that's what is grown there. And in Japan,
oak is really popular because that's what is
grown there. We've been successful selling
other types in these areas, too.

"I feel that a good piece of hickory doesn't
have to be compressed. Over the centuries
they've made striking tools—hammers, axe
handles. And you say to yourself, 'They've
got resin, metal compounds, but they're
still turning out wood handles every day.'
And that's because the structure of hickory
is very resilient; it absorbs shock. Oak sticks
vibrate; that's why we won't use oak."

According to Alan, a quality stick starts
with the dowel, the form in which the wood
comes into the factory. The company spends
over $150,000 a month on the wood, which
arrives in weekly shipments. The dowels
come in different lengths and thicknesses,
depending on what size stick will be cut
from them. Vater not only makes sure the
wood looks good, but also that it is uni¬
form in its inherent qualities. "You want
the color to be consistently white," Alan
emphasizes. "No two-tone colors. Overall
appearance, grain structure, weight,
strength—these are the important factors.
It's also the way the wood is dried. It's
going to be more moist on the inside than

George Morgan overseeing
back-knife lathe

on the outside. The ratio of water to wood
is important. We dry to between 9% and
11 % moisture content. Anything below that,
and you're going to ruin the wood; you
loose the cellulose fiber, which gives
strength to the wood. The wood is dried in
one of our facilities down south, and we
have stern quality control with those people.
When the wood comes in, we take mois¬
ture readings, and if it's not right, we take it
to a local kiln and have it brought down.

MODERN DRUMMER

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Alan Vater rolling sticks for straightness

People say, 'Your sticks don't break like
some of the others,' and it might be the de¬
sign, but it's mostly the wood."

Even though the wood Vater uses is qual¬
ity-checked before it's cut, the sticks are
still checked at every stage of production
for straightness. On the final cut, every 30th
stick is measured, and if it doesn't pass a
tolerance check of 2/1000', the machine is
shut off and adjusted.

Alan goes on to explain how there
is controversy among drumstick mak¬
ers as to just what characteristics are
most important in a drumstick. "Some
people say you should pitch-pair. We
feel differently. First of all, any drum¬
mer that I know is looking for sticks
that are the same weight. When you
break a stick during a gig and you
reach down to pick up another one,
you want that baby to be consistent
with the one you just broke. If you're
a snare drummer in a symphony, then
you're looking for pitch. But if you're
a rock 'n' roll drummer, you're look¬
ing for weight. A rock 'n' roll drum¬
mer is riding a cymbal and hitting a
snare drum. What does pitch have
to do with anything? Response is im¬
portant, too. Some sticks have a rub¬
bery response; we chuck those out."

Another area that Alan Vater has
strong opinions about is colored
drumsticks and other such novelties.
"Illuminated sticks are just fads; they
have a product life. As far as syn¬
thetics are concerned, I think they have a
place in the market, but I don't think they
have a dominant place. Drummers are
always going to come back to good old
natural sticks. The natural resonance, the
tone that wood gives you as opposed to,
say, graphite—you don't get the same tonal
quality, the same feel.

"People used to paint sticks, and it was a
detriment to the product in general. The

product chipped, you'd sweat and have
blue all over you. So there was a reason
not to like it. But then the way we made it,
using a porcelain finish, there was no rea¬
son not to like it. About 25% of our sticks
sold are colored. We chose to make stained
sticks in black and red; one is very bright,
and one very dark. We try to get away from
a really high-gloss finish. It feels like you
have a piece of wood in your hand, not a
candle."

In addition to drumsticks, Vater also
makes wooden timpani mallets, which
employ a mechanically and chemically
bonded cap that allows the head to rotate.
The company also has plans to manufac¬
ture wood and poly bass drum beaters,
which would require the design and build¬
ing of new machinery. As stated earlier,
this wouldn't be the first time the company
would have to build its own machines;
some of the others that were created when
the need arose are a sanding machine, one
that knocks nylon tips onto sticks, and the
stamping machine that every private-label
stick goes through.

It seems the kind of self-reliance needed
in a company like Vater has resulted in a
closer employee/manager relationship than
may be apparent in other companies, and
Clarence Vater is quick to give the
company's crew due credit for their suc¬
cess: "If we didn't have the help we have
today, there is no way we would have pro¬
gressed." Alan Vater amplifies his father's
thoughts: "It's not like one decision is made

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MODERN DRUMMER

here; everyone is working together. There
have been meetings where we have called
the whole shop in. When we make really
heavy decisions, we want everyone in¬
volved. It's not like a big company. Some
of these guys are friends that I grew up
with. It's a tight-knit group, and everyone
understands what has to be done."

The amount of success that Vater has
achieved in the industry is a bit surprising,
considering that the company has never
once advertised. Rather than attempting
some sort of media blitz, Vater has inched
its way through the back door, concentrat¬
ing on elevating the quality of private label
sticks, and spreading their reputation
throughout the nation's drumshops. "A pri¬
vate-label drumstick was usually just a
bucket of sticks with the store's name on
it," says Alan. "It didn't have the quality of
a name-brand stick. But we've taken that
aspect and concentrated on it, giving it a
top priority."

Vater found that the private stores appre¬
ciated their line of thought, using Vater
sticks with their own names stamped on
them as a way to advertise their shops. And
it has been this kind of personal attention
to the small-time dealer that has carried
the company thus far. "Our customers'
competitors will call me up, wanting our
sticks, and I won't give them to them, be¬
cause we give regional exclusives. If you
are Columbus Percussion Center, who are
a good customer of ours, and somebody
else off the street wants them—sorry, we

can't do it. And they come to you and go, 'I
have six stores.' Tm sorry, I can't do it for
you.' And you want to do it, but you can't,
because that loyalty is what carries you.
Then again, it's not the bottom line; it's
doing the best job you can for someone
who is supporting you.

"Word of mouth has carried us through.
We wanted to put the product ahead of the
name, and we don't have what they call
"bottom-line thinking." There's no percent¬
age that we're looking for. What we get out
of the run—what we feel is a perfect stick—
is what we get out of it. We don't say, 'Oh,
no. We've got 40% loss on this run.' We
say, 'Hey, they're all good sticks; people
are going to come back and buy them
again.' That's an attitude that I think is gone
now. The money will come."

Though Vater's ethics may seem decid¬
edly populist, this doesn't quite mean that
they're resigned to be somehow left be¬
hind the larger drumstick manufacturers in
terms of having their piece of the pie. The
sticks the company cuts for name brands
provide a good portion of Vater's income.
These companies will submit drawings and
specs for their own sticks, and will actually
buy the knives used to cut those sticks.
"Those specs stay in this shop," explains
Clarence. "The only way they'll go any¬
where is if we have written authorization
on a second-quality stick, which we have
the option of selling."

Besides doing business with the bigger
companies, Alan sees no reason the com¬

pany shouldn't be in their shoes, and is
ready to take a cue from some of the ones
he feels have done things right. He particu¬
larly looks up to the Calato company as
one to emulate. "The best thing for this
company would be to look like a Regal
Tip. I really look up to them. They've done
so much. Their dad invented the nylon tip,
and he shed blood, sweat, and tears his 30-
year career just making drumsticks. Now
they're wholesaling and have operations
all over. The ultimate thing would be for
people to recognize Vater drumsticks as
being the best, and for us to be able to
support it and expand into different lines.
We're thinking now about making wood
products like toys—something high-qual¬
ity. Because, this building here is a tempo¬
rary resting place for this company.

"Our biggest challenge is coming out
with our own line of drumsticks—to have
the Vater name mean something to the
drummer. It's marketing, and that's too bad.
We have a good stick and a good name,
but no one knows how to identify our stick,
because we don't have our name on it. We
haven't even concentrated on getting our
name out. This is our first interview, our
first touch with anything. The stick has taken
us this far. Now, if we start to advertise and
market behind that, look out. I believe that
if something is good and worth the money,
it's going to go. We're ready to reach out

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MODERN DRUMMER

Transcribed by James Morton

Leroy Clouden:

"Century's End"

This month's Rock Charts features "Century's End," Donald Fagen's hit from the soundtrack of the movie Bright Lights,
Big City (Warner Bros. 4-27972). Drummer Leroy Clouden plays a crisp, tight funk-shuffle against Fagen's sequencers
and programs, for a hip, contemporary feel. This is an excellent example for playing this type of feel.

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fuutyfji

DISCOUNT DRUM CATALOC

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Call 800 Information for our toll-free number Call or Write for Official Contest Information

Nov. 2

I98ti

Nov, £

i, 1987

The legendary Dregs
reunited this spring to
record a CD single and
for a brief tour.

Rod usually plays
Premier Resonator drums,
but wanted to try a new sound
for the Dregs project. He
chose a prototype set of
Premier’s new APK drums.

The new APK drums were
designed for high-volume
music and feature heavy-duty
construction and hardware.
And here’s your chance to own
Rod’s very own prototype set.
All it takes is the correct
answer to this month's Drum
Trivia questions—and a posh
card!

Rod’s Premier APK set includes:

2 - 22 x 16 Bass Drums

It also includes a full set of

1 -14 x 6 V 2 Snare Drum

Premier’s new 3000 Series

1 - 10 x 9 Tom

hardware, two 254 bass

1 - 12 x 11 Tom

pedals, hi-hat, snare stand.

1 -14 x 13 Tom

two boom stands, and

1 - 16 x 16 Floor Tom

1 - 18 x 16 Floor Tom

straight stand.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Very simple. If you know the answers to our trivia ques¬
tions, simply jot them down on a postcard, along with
your name, address, and telephone number, and drop it
in the mail. That’s all there is to it! If your postcard is the
first entry with the right answers to be drawn at random,
this fantastic prize will be yours —ABSOLUTELYFREE!
Mail your entries to:

MD Trivia, 870 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009

CONTEST RULES

1) Submit postcards only; be sure to include your name,
address, and telephone number.

2) Your entry must be postmarked by Jan. 1, 1989.

3) You may enter as many times as you wish. Ail entries
must be mailed individually.

4) Winners will be notified by telephone. Prizes will be
shipped promptly, direct from the manufacturer.

5) Previous Modern Drummer contest winners are ineli¬
gible.

6) Employees of Modem Drummer and employees of the
manufacturer of this month's prize are ineligible,

^0 Just answer the following
questions. One winner wiil be cho¬
sen from among the correct entries.
Send your answers to Modern
Drummer by January 1,1989.

QUESTIONS

1. Rod met the other mem¬
bers of the Dregs at what
university?

2. What category in the
Modern Drummer Pol) did
Rod win this year?

3. Where are Premier
drums manufactured?

Yamaha Po

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> 1/ /£ "

W ■ YAMAHA

Enter yet another series of Yamaha drums:
the Power V. Yamaha has developed this
line with the idea of combining pro quality
and affordability. The Power V kit is manu¬
factured in England, not Japan, and I read
this as the first endeavor by Yamaha to take
advantage of their acquisition of Premier.

The Power V shells are 9-ply Philippine
mahogany, with their interiors painted
black. The snare drum has a steel shell.
The drums have a different lug design from
the rest of the Yamaha family: They're more
squared-off, and have a slight taper down.
Components of the Yamaha Power V kit
are 16x22 bass drum, 10 x 12 and 11 x 13
tom-toms, 16x1 6 floor tom, and 61/2 x 14
snare drum.

Bass Drum

The 16 x 22 bass drum has 16 lugs with
T-handle tuners. The bottom two rods on
each side of the drum have square-headed
screws—an increasingly popular feature
nowadays. Black painted wooden hoops
are fitted to the drum, and they are inlayed
with plastic, matching the drum's finish.
(The hoops, by the way, have squared-off
edges.) Yamaha has glued a piece of ribbed
rubber onto the bottom of the batter hoop
for easier pedal attachment and stability

without marring the hoop's
finish.

The Power Vs spurs are
externally mounted, and
have a large wing bolt ad¬
justment. They fold flush
for packing, and allow a
few different forward setup
angles, depending upon
where you place the leg in
relation to its plate. Each
spur tube is cut away in
back, exposing an inner
telescopic leg. A square¬
headed screw is used to
release and lock the inner
leg. (I'd prefer a wing screw
here.) The spurs have spike
tips, surrounded by rubber,
and hold the bass drum in
place just fine. (Yamaha
has taken the opportunity
to plaster its logo on the
spur legs. This may be
good for promotion, but is
nonetheless gaudy.)

The drum came fitted
with a clear Yamaha batter
(made at the Premier fac¬
tory?) and a black front
head with a pre-cut 9 1/2"
hole. Yamaha did away
with the normal felt muf¬
fler strip usually included with bass drums,
and instead thoughtfully included a Remo
Muff I (which I just happen to love!) The
Muff' I helps to give a solid, tight sound to
the bass drum. The drum is quite punchy,
especially when played with a wood beater.
It has great tonal depth, and produces ample
volume.

Mounting System

A new tom-tom holder has been devel¬
oped for the Power V kit, based on the
tried-and-true Yamaha swivel-ball system.
A large receiver block is mounted atop the
bass drum, and accepts a single down tube.
The down tube is held in the receiver by a
wing screw, clamping an inner nylon piece.
The tube is fitted with a memory ring, and
the entry hole on the receiver is multi-
slotted to make it convenient for place¬
ment of the square screw on the memory
ring. On this particular holder, the down
tube fit very tightly inside the receiver, re¬
quiring some additional force to insert or
remove it.

Atop the tube is a large, rubber-bumpered
chrome block that has two holes (also multi-
slotted) to accept the individual tom arms.
The arms have memory rings, and are wing-
bolt clamped. Each tom arm utilizes a

swivel ball, almost totally enclosed within
a chromed casing. Adjustment/locking is
via a wing screw on top of the ball casing.
This method is identical to other Yamaha
holders, and affords a wide range of angle
adjustment. Past the ball joint, the arms are
hexagonal steel, to mate with the hex re¬
ceivers on the tom-tom shells. The hexago¬
nal design resists any twisting or turning of
the drums. All in all, it's a relatively sturdy
holder, and I was able to obtain the angles
and heights I needed. I did find, though,
that at acute angles the right tom could
foul the arm holder block.

Tom-Toms

The 10 x 12 and 11 x 13 toms have 12
lugs each; the 16 x 16 floor tom has 16
lugs. There are no internal mufflers, and
the drums have one venthole each. (The
rack toms are vented near their holder re¬
ceivers.) The floor tom has three legs,
knurled at their tops, that fit into wing-bolt
brackets. All the toms are fitted with
Yamaha's made-in-England clear heads, top
and bottom.

The 12" and 13" toms required some
dampening when I tested them in live play¬
ing, but the floor tom really didn't need
any modification. The toms do not "boom";
instead, with just a little muffling (tape or a
Zero Ring), they have a nice punch. All the
toms possess good attack and volume at all
pitches. The floor tom is amazingly deep¬
sounding in itself; in fact it's one of the
loudest I've played. (Maybe the "V" in
Power \/stands for volume?)

Snare Drum

A 6 1/2 x 14 steel-shell snare completes
the five-piece Power V kit. It has eight
double-ended lugs, a single venthole, and
uses a simple side-throw strainer. (The
throw-offside has a fine-tension adjustment
knob.) The drum has 20-strand wire snares,
held by black fiber strapping. There's one
really great feature on this drum I like—
minor, but worthy of mention: Square¬
headed, drum key-operated screws are used
to clamp the throw-off and butt plates where
the snare connector strips pass through, in¬
stead of regular slotted screws. It's a lot
easier to adjust the snares with a drumkey
than with a small straight-edged screw¬
driver. Give the designer a raise!

Snare gates are made in the bottom hoop
by cutting away the hoop entirely at those
points, which allows the snares to drop
fully when released. A good idea, but it
could make the strapping, the bottom head,
or even the hoop itself prone to possible
damage by accident.

This snare has a mirror chrome finish,

MODERN DRUMMER

by Bob Saydlowski, Jr.

wer V Drumkit

which is a simply great plating job. (The
Premier process?) The drum came fitted
with a Yamaha TS white coated batter, and
a transparent Yamaha snare side head. There
is no internal damper, so instead, Yamaha
includes a plastic ring to lay over the batter
head, covering the outer 1 1/2" perimeter of
the head and reducing overring. (It's a bit
heavier and thicker than Noble & Cooley's
Zero Ring.) This works so well in control¬
ling overtones, I wonder why Yamaha
doesn't include sizes for the three toms, as
well.

Yamaha's coated head is not as respon¬
sive to brushwork as a Remo coated is, so
the country and jazz players who use the
drum may want to change the batter to a
rougher textured one. I had a slight prob¬
lem with constant snare rattle on this drum
during soft playing; the snares were either
slipping, or were bent. However, in loud
playing, the rattle disappeared, and with
the plastic overlay ring, the drum's sound
tightened up to produce a really great snare
sound. This drum is not particularly sensi¬
tive, but responds well to loud playing,
without choking. Latin-type rim clicks were
not as loud as on other snares I've played,
and regular rimshots sounded a bit thin.
The drum does possess good volume and
crispness, and overall, I really did like its
sound.

Hardware

The Power V hardware has labels read¬
ing "Made In England," so once again
there's evidence of the Premier connec¬
tion. All the stands have large, grooved
rubber feet (which, too, have the Yamaha
logo), and all height adjustment points
contain black nylon bushings for non-slip-
page.

One CS720P cymbal stand is included
with the kit. (Yamaha's ad for the kit dis¬
plays two.) It has a single-braced tripod
base, and two adjustable height tiers. A
ratchet tilter is used for setting cymbal angle.
It's just your basic, normal stand, and it's
sturdy enough to hold most any cymbal.
(Maybe it's so good that someone stole the
second one?)

The SS720P snare stand also has a single-
braced base, and uses a basket design to
hold the snare drum. A threaded T-screw
adjuster at the bottom closes the basket,
and the stand tilts on a flat steel hinge.

The HS820 hi-hat stand and FP725 bass
drum pedal both have two-piece alumi¬
num footboards with large ribs in their upper
halves for a more positive "foot grip." The
hi-hat is single-braced at its base, and has
two knob spurs set into its frame. It works
on the direct-pull method, and uses a fat

chain linkage. A large hose clamp serves as
a memory ring for the height tube. Tension
adjustment of the enclosed spring is done
via a large plastic wheel, set horizontally
into the spring housing. The actual degree
of adjustment is visible through a slot in
the housing, which is gauged to show
"heavy" to "light" action settings. In what
was perhaps an oversight, there was no
metal or fiber washer for the bottom cym¬
bal cup—the tilter screw directly contacted
the felt washer, squashing it. The stand has
smooth, quiet action. It may be a bit too
springy for some, but in general, it works
fine, and changing spring tension is easy
and convenient.

The bass drum pedal is of a simple de¬
sign, using a single expansion spring
stretched downward. A knurled knob at
the frame's bottom right adjusts the tension
of the spring holder. There are no spurs on
the pedal, nor is there a toe stop. The pedal's
axle is hex steel, onto which the linkage
cam and beater housing are mounted (and
locked with Allen screws). A flexible strap
is used for the linkage, and the pedal mounts
to the drum with the common plate clamp/
wing screw method. A square-headed screw
holds the felt beater in its housing; once
again, I'd like to see a wing screw instead,
just for convenience.

This pedal is lightweight, and has good
action. It felt a little small under my foot,
but not so that it was ever out of control.
The pedal has a natural-feeling swing, and

responds well, whether playing heel-
down, or toe-only.

Cosmetics

The Power V kit I tested was fin¬
ished in Italian Red plastic covering.
(Other colors available include black,
white, and chrome.) I detected a few
bumps on the bass drum's covering,
but overall, the finishing was okay, and
all seams are hidden from the audi¬
ence view. Each drum in the kit has a
newly designed square gold logo
badge, screened with black graphics.
(There are no serial numbers im¬
printed.)

The kit is easy to set up and tear
down, the hardware is all good (if not
great) quality (especially the tom
holder), and the drums have good to¬
nal characteristics and volume. So I
guess Yamaha has accomplished what
they set out to do. In my opinion, the
Power V leans more towards the Tour
Series in quality than the cheaper Stage
Series line, and I consider it to be worth
every penny of the $1,195 sug-
gested retail price. mp

NEW ALUMINUM HOOP
CAD/CAM DRUMHEADS

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MODERN DRUMMER

by Steve La Cerra

Recording Your Drum Machine

Recording studio time is an expensive
commodity, and since the majority of us
have limited resources, that time should be
used as efficiently as possible. A live band
going into the studio must rehearse before
recording rhythm tracks. Similarly, in the
interest of saving time, drum programs are
best written before going into the studio.
Then, since you can bring your drum ma¬
chine to the studio, recording can be as
easy as getting the sound and pressing
"record."

The purpose of this article is to assist
drummers in getting the sound they want
out of drum machines and samplers. We
will assume that the programming has al¬
ready been worked out.

The major decision to be made is whether
or not to record processed sounds. Often, a
group will record sounds directly off the
sampler without adding further reverb or
equalization. This method can be useful
when the overall ambience of the song has
not yet been determined. Once all the other
instruments and vocals have been recorded,
drum sound processing can be done in the
mix.

Assuming that you're working with a
limited budget (a reasonable assumption),
you are probably in a studio with a limited
number of outboard processors. Addition¬
ally, the band may own an extra digital
reverb or delay. The point is that in the
mixing process, it is desirable to have as
many signal processors as possible avail¬
able for the vocals, keyboards, guitars, etc.
Sound quality will suffer when one reverb
is used for a multitude of tracks. The prob¬
lem becomes clear when you realize that

three or more separate reverb units may be
needed for the drums alone.

Therefore, it is advantageous to record
the drum sounds as close as possible to
what you want in the final product, includ¬
ing equalization, reverb(s), compression, or
any other effects. If you are not sure about
the reverb, print (record) a modest amount
now and add more later.

Determine next how many tracks are
available for the drums. The minimum for
a stereo spread is two tracks. In this case,
you practically must get the reverb sounds
on tape; adding reverb later will allow you
only to add reverb to the entire drumset,
which is not always desirable. Two tracks
are fine when using an eight-track format,
leaving six tracks for the band.

If the drum machine has only two out¬
puts, you may run into trouble at this point.
There are basically two or three options in
solving this problem. If the drum machine
allows it, pan the snare drum and toms to
one side and the kick drum and cymbals to
the other. This lets you add reverb to the
snare and toms without putting it on the
kick and cymbals (which are frequently left
dry). These sounds are then recorded on
two different tracks. The disadvantage here
is that when mixing, both of these tracks
are likely to be placed in the center of the
mix (kick and snare are most often panned
to the center of the left-to-right "stage"),
leaving your drums in mono. You must
decide which is more important.

A second option is to take the two stereo
outputs of the drum machine and go
through two identical 10- or 15-band
graphic EQ units (for the most flexible tone

control), and then add one reverb to the
whole set. If so, go for an ambient reverb
sound (i.e., one that simulates a small room)
as opposed to that "Lincoln Tunnel" sound,
which is great on the toms but will mess up
the definition of the kick drum and cym¬
bals. Another option is syncing the drums
to tape, but that really is a subject for an¬
other discussion.

When dealing with 16 tracks or more, I
strongly suggest printing the processed
sounds. If you are limited to four of the 16
tracks, print the kick and snare each on its
own tracks and a stereo mix of the toms
and cymbals on the last two tracks. Be sure
the volume relationship of the toms and
cymbals is correct because you will not be
able to change it later on.

If possible, use at least six tracks for the
drums: kick, snare, toms right, toms left,
cymbals right, and cymbals left. If it is a
three- or four-piece band, convince them
to give you a seventh track for the hi-hat,
and you'll be in great shape. All these tracks
allow you more depth, separation, and
control in the final mix.

If the drums stop playing at some point
in the song, be sure to print a temporary
quarter-note click track so that the band
can still keep time. When all of the instru¬
ments are down, it can then be erased.

With 24 tracks, you can definitely put
the hi-hat and even each tom on its own
track (depending on how many instruments
are to be overdubbed). If you have more
than 24 tracks, use your imagination.

Now you are ready to have the engineer
connect everything. If the sampler or drum
machine is somewhat noisy, patch a noise

Our sticks come in three different

All of them. All have the same, consistent quality and precision craftsman¬
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Moreover, all Zildjian drumsticks are meticulously matched for color,
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gate right off the output of the machine to
eliminate noise when there is no signal, as
well as leakage from the other outputs. Next
should come the equalization. In most
cases, that will be the EQ on the recording
console, but for kick and snare drums, you
may want to use a 10- or 15-band graphic
unit. Use the graphic EQ to change the
character of the kick and snare drums so
that they do not sound like the kick and
snare everyone else gets from the same
drum machine.

For toms and cymbals, the board EQ
should do nicely. Don't be afraid to add
high end to the cymbals and attack to the
toms. When recording on analog tape, the
tape may lose some of these frequencies. If
your crash cymbal decay is too short, send
it through a digital reverb with a long de¬
cay and adjust the wet-to-dry mix control
so that you cannot tell where the reverb
decay picks up from the end of the cymbal
sound. This trick keeps the cymbal from
stopping in mid-decay and sounds more
convincing.

Dedicate one reverb to the snare drum
alone. For more traditional sounds, have
the engineer place the reverb after the EQ.
If you want to go for some really wild
sounds, have the engineer patch the reverb
before the EQ. Then connect another gate
after the reverb/EQ combination and go to
the tape machine. If at mix time you find
the snare drum reverb too long, gate it
again and shorten the gate to cut off some
of the decay.

If the toms are to be printed in stereo,
you can use one reverb for all of the toms
and pan them left to right (or vice versa). If
you are putting one tom on a track, you
can dedicate one reverb to each tom, in
line after the EQ. This sounds best if you
have multiples of the same reverb unit on
the same setting (i.e. four Lexicon PCM-
6ffs set at the same program), and enhances
the sense of depth given to the drumkit. If
you are running low on gates, place the

gates after the reverb only (as opposed to
after the output of the machine and after
the reverb). For two stereo tom tracks, gate
each side and go to the tape machine.

Fora dynamic-sounding hi-hat, you can
program a quarter note and send it through
a digital delay adjusted to get 8th or 16th
notes. The sound on the beat will be the
actual sample and the other notes will de¬
cay as per your setting on the delay unit.

As with cymbals, do not be afraid to crank
up the high end—especially if the drum
machine is an older unit without today's
state-of-the-art frequency responses.

If you are reverb-shy, you can go for a
room ambience type of sound instead of a
cavernous reverb sound. Just add enough
reverb to make the drums sound like they
are being played in a medium-sized room,
not from a little black box. SB

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_ by Craig Krampf

Session Rehearsals

The sounds are up on the console, and the
headphones have been roughed in. The
artist, musicians, producer, and engineer
are set to go, and the tape begins to roll.
One...two...thr —Wait a minute! What are
we going to cut? What song are we going
to try to record today, and how do we learn
this important piece of music?

Sessions fall into two basic categories:
rehearsed, where the music has previously
been worked on during separate rehearsal
sessions, and unrehearsed, where you'll be
creating on the spot. With either type, the
musicians will learn the song via a chord
chart, a main rhythm chart, a real specific
drum chart, or, many times, by the "write
your own chart" method. Also, all of the
above methods may rely on the use of a
demo tape. Let's first examine the proce¬
dure for a rehearsed session, and look at
the types of learning methods utilized.

Many producers like to preceed the ac¬
tual recording session with rehearsals. All
the sessions I did for producer Val Garay
over the past seven years were prepared
for in this fashion. If it was an entire album
project, we'd spend a week rehearsing the
first half of the album, and after that was in

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the can, we'd go back to the rehearsal hall
and learn the remaining songs. In some in¬
stances, this back-and-forth procedure went
on for many months. Oftentimes, a song
just didn't cut it. Maybe the arrangement
wasn't right, or perhaps we'd record a lot
more songs before the final ten were cho¬
sen forthe album.

This pre-production preparation can be
really beneficial in getting the most out of a
song. Plus, less experienced artists and play¬
ers can search out parts and experiment
without worrying about that expensive stu¬
dio clock that's always running. It's a lot
better spending $15 or $20 an hour for
rehearsal space than $185 or more an hour
in the studio.

At these rehearsals, the artist will either
sing or play the song for us, or he'll play us
the demo. Usually the keyboard player will
write up a chord chart. After the chart has
been copied, everyone likes to hear the
song again so that they can make their own
notations. If the artist plays us the song on
guitar or keyboard, the parts are naturally
more open to interpretation. However, the
artist may have something very specific in
mind. He or she will generally convey this
to us in terms that can range from the very
vague ("It's kind of an East Indian thing
played by a Toledo blues band"), to the
most exacting ("Play everything just like
Springsteen's 'I'm On Fire'").

I'll usually try to get a tempo reading,
either with a stopwatch (timing every two
bars) or with a drum machine. It's good to
start out trying to duplicate the speed at
which the artist feels the song naturally.
Everybody will try to do their best during
the first few run-throughs. But usually these
first attempts are quite cosmic sounding, as
people search out parts. What Neil Peart
said regarding the two approaches in his
article "Creating The Drum Part" (August
'88 MD) is quite true. Neil said, "Some
people start as simply as possible. Then, if
they feel compelled to add to that mini¬
malist approach, they will. Other people
start the opposite way, trying everything
they can possibly think of in the first few
run-throughs, and then gradually eliminat¬
ing ideas that don't work."

I think every musician utilizes both of
these methods, depending on the song, the
artist, producer, fellow musicians, and his
or her own creative mood on that particu¬
lar day. I've scared people doing it both
ways. I've also found that if I try the second
method, in an effort to stir my creative
juices, it's better to warn people ahead of
time. Once again, open communication
always works best.

If everyone is in love with the demo,
sometimes this will mean transcribing the

demo just about note-for-note. Some de¬
mos are very well done, and often we stu¬
dio players feel like we're in a Top-40 band
learning a new song. I can't tell you how
often a producer or artist will say, "It's just
not quite right yet; let's listen to the demo
again."

Sometimes a direct order to "cop the
demo" is given. We then know we're going
to be playing that world-famous recording
game called "Beat The Demo!" This often
leads to a song being programmed. Most
demos nowadays are cut with drum ma¬
chines. If we get the order to "cop the
demo," it's usually because the artist or
producer loves the machine aspect of it.
This is a whole separate topic that I'll cover
in another article.

Forthe Melissa Etheridge album, Melissa,
bassist Kevin McCormick and I rehearsed
casually for a month. We'd get together
two or three times a week to work up the
songs. I should say "re-work" the songs;
the first version of the album, which we
had also played on, was scrapped because
the president of the record company felt
that the real essence of this woman and her
music was lost. He put it in our hands to
get it back.

We stripped down the songs to just voice
and guitar, and we rethought and re-learned
them. When the record company exec fi¬
nally heard what we did, he told us we
were now the producers. It was our job to
go in and capture on tape what he had just
heard. We basically cut the album live,
including live vocals. Only a few overdubs
were added. The whole album was on tape
in nine days! The point is, it would have
been impossible to accomplish this without
rehearsing. I should also mention that we
didn't write up charts for this project. I
made up a little road map for myself for a
few songs, listing the order of things, the
number of bars, and any unusual figures,
but that was it.

Some people contend that rehearsing can
take away the spontaneity of a session and
sterilize the final product. This can be true—
if you rehearse to the point of boredom.
But any professional should be able to get
up and perform well when that red light
goes on. Not everything that winds up on
tape always sounds like it did at rehearsal.
Once under the studio microscope, certain
things may not work: Parts change, grooves
and tempos change. But in general, these
changes always lead to a better final prod¬
uct. Rehearsals are just another good way
of fine-tuning the whole recording process.

Next month we'll look at the unrehearsed
session, and the challenges of creating on
the spot.

MODERN DRUMMER

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You Can Make Musk

by Rick Mattingly

MacDrums

We've heard over and over that drum ma¬
chines are really just computers, so if that's
the case, it shouldn't be hard to use a com¬
puter as a drum machine. That's what Coda
Software's MacDrums program lets you do
with your Macintosh.

The MacDrums package is actually di¬
vided into two parts: MacDrums and
MacDrums MIDI. The first one lets you use
the Macintosh itself as a drum machine.
The second lets you use the Macintosh as a
controller for a separate drum machine.
Let's look at each one individually.

MacDrums

This is a pretty basic drum machine pack¬
age, but it is easy to use and could be quite
adequate for a lot of people's needs. The
program contains 35 digitally sampled
drumset and percussion sounds, and lets
you record patterns and songs.

Putting a pattern into the program is very
easy. You are given a grid that has 16 rows
of 16 blocks. Each row represents a differ¬
ent instrument, and each block represents
a 16th note. You program a note by simply
clicking the mouse arrow over a block.
Visually, you will see a black dot appear in
the box. To remove the note, click over the
box again. When programmed into
MacDrums, the following rhythm

n ,

Jr- 4 -

' i

would look like what is programmed into

the sample screen shown above.

The basic MacDrums program will only
let you play four notes simultaneously. For
that reason, the grid is divided into four
groups. Within each group, only one note
can be played at one time. For example, in
the sample screen, you could not play the
crash cymbal and the ride cymbal at the
same time. (If you really had to play both
of them together, though, you could move
one of them to another group. The main
point to remember is that you can only
have one sound from each group, giving
you a total of four.)

You can program up to 64 measures in a
single memory location. This is accom¬
plished by having 16 measures in each of
four groups, labeled A, B, C, and D. (In the
screen example, we are in group A, shown
by the dot in the box marked A in the
lower left corner of the screen. We are on
the first measure of group A, indicated by
the dot in the first box in the Beat/Measure
row under the grid.)

Once your measures are recorded, you
can set the volume and tempo. The vol¬
ume has eight settings, and covers a pretty
good range from soft to loud. The tempo,
however, doesn't have as much flexibility
as one might expect. The lowest setting I
could get was quarter note = 001, which
was very slow. I could get every number
from 002-034, and from there, the sequence
was like this: 036, 037, 039, 040, 042,
045, 047, 050, 052, 056, 060, 064, 069,
075, 081, 090, 100, 112, 128, 150, 180,
225, 300, 450, 900. There are a lot of
tempos between, say, 80 and 180 that

would have been more useful than the slow¬
est and fastest ones provided. The lack of
more tempos is possibly the biggest flaw
with this program.

The next thing you can do is link pat¬
terns together into songs, or "tracks." The
capacity for a single track is pretty good:
from 2 to 999 measures. When you are in
the record mode, the tempo indicator
changes into a measure counter, which is
useful for letting you know where you are
at any given time.

One limitation of the track recording is
that you can only add or delete measures
from the end. In other words, suppose after
programming 12 measures, you decide that
you want to remove measure 6. You can¬
not simply call up measure six and delete
it. Instead, you first have to delete meas¬
ures 12,11,10, 9, 8, and 7. The good news
is that you are not removing the patterns
themselves from memory; you are only
removing them from the "list" of pattern
numbers that the program reads when play¬
ing a track. And the process is pretty fast,
so as long as you don't have to delete too
many measures, it won't take too long to
put them back. There are also "cut," "copy,"
and "paste" commands that can save time.

So far, it might appear that you can only
program a 4/4 measure with 16th notes.
Not true. There is an arrow underneath the
grid that marks the stopping point of the
pattern. In the screen example, that arrow
is underneath the last box, meaning that
the program will play through all 16 boxes.
However, that arrow can be moved for¬
ward, and the program will not play any¬
thing that is behind it.

That gives you a certain amount of flexi¬
bility. If you want 3/4 time, just move the
arrow up four boxes. If you wanted 5/8,
you could put the arrow under the tenth
box to get 16th notes, or under the fifth box
to get only 8ths. There are limitations,
however. You could not have a 5/4 meas¬
ure with 16th notes. The best you could do
with 5/4 is put the arrow under the tenth
box and think of each box as an 8th note.
The other major limitation is that you can¬
not mix meters within a track. If you set
one of your measures to, say, 3/4, then all
of the measures in the track will be played
in 3/4. Even if you have other notes pro¬
grammed, MacDrums will ignore them.

The final thing to talk about is the instru¬
ment selection. You can have up to 16
instruments in a single setup, and you have
a total of 35 to choose from. The program
came with three different setups that could
be used, but it is easy to mix and match
instruments to come up with any setup you
desire.

MODERN DRUMMER

The sounds themselves are pretty good.
Of course, if you are only going to use the
speaker that is inside the Mac, it's going to
sound like a cheap transistor radio at best.
But by connecting the Mac's headphone
jack to an amplifier or stereo system, you
can blast out the MacDrums sounds at
whatever volume you wish.

MacDrumsMIDI

This program lets you use your Macin¬
tosh as a controller for a MIDI drum ma¬
chine (you'll need a MIDI interface for your
Mac). For the most part, everything works
the same way in terms of pattern writing
and track recording. But there are a couple
of differences worth noting.

The first difference has to do with the
instrument selection. With the basic
MacDrums, you have 35 instruments to
choose from. With MacDrums MIDI, you
can access any sound on your MIDI drum
machine. When you first take the program
out of the box, there is a sample list of
instruments, whose MIDI note numbers
corresponded to the Yamaha RX5 that I
used to test the program. But it is quite easy
to change the name and note number to
anything you want.

You can also select the MIDI channel for
each sound. This would be useful if you
had two drum machines and wanted, say,
the snare drum from one machine and the
bass drum from the other machine. In ad¬
dition, you can set the velocity for each
sound over the full MIDI range. This only
works, of course, if your drum machine
responds to velocity data. Also, you cannot
control individual notes, only individual
instruments. In other words, you can use
the velocity to control the overall mix be¬
tween the different instruments, but you
cannot use it to vary the dynamics on a
single instrument's part.

An advantage of the MacDrums MIDI
program is that you are not necessarily lim¬
ited to four notes at a time. Using the RX5,

I could get 12 notes simultaneously, which
is the capacity of that machine. But if I had
used a second machine, I could have had
up to 16 sounds at once.

There is an important limitation that you
should be aware of. You cannot program a
pattern on MacDrums MIDI and then load
that pattern into your drum machine (or
vice versa). That means that if you want to
program patterns to play along with on a
gig, you'll have to take your Mac along.
On the other hand, drum machines only
have so much memory anyway, but you
can have an unlimited number of Macin¬
tosh disks with all of the patterns you want.

Conclusions

The MacDrums package is easy to use
(the manual is very clear), and for basic
drum machine applications, it might be all
you need. One of the primary benefits of a
program such as this is that it lets you pro¬
gram patterns visually, which is generally
easier and faster than normal step-time

programming on a drum machine. Also, if age is a pair of MacDrums wrist bands. It's

you don't have a drum machine but you nice to see a software company with a

do have a Mac, this could be an inexpen- sense of humor. ^

sive way to have basic drum machine ca¬
pabilities: The program lists for only $59.95.

(You should not buy a Macintosh for the
sole purpose of using this program, how¬
ever. For less than half the price of a Mac
you could buy a much better drum ma¬
chine.)

For more professional drum machine
programming with a Macintosh, Intelligent
Music's Upbeat program (reviewed in the
February 88 MD) is a much better bet. But
then, it lists for $150.00. So basically, you
get what you pay for. If you are only look¬
ing for a basic drum machine program that
is easy (and fun) to use, MacDrums might
be for you.

And one final note: Included in the pack-

CONGA DRUM

Lessons on Video

Cuban drum master Rolando Soto, former percussionist cl
the iniernolionafly famous Rumbsvsna orchestra, teaches
traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms. Ideal lor beginners or ex-
peri an cad drummers who want to expand their knowledge.

□ Basic Conga □ Basic Bongo □ Advanced Conga
□ Advanced Bongo □ Complimentary Percussion

Send $39.95 check or Internationa! Money Order plus $3
postage end handing ($5 outside US} per tape to.

TropiCa! Productions
825 Crestmame Place
Venice, CA9Q291 USA

_ attowS B w§th for dtfrrtff VHS a/tty _

YES! Please send me:

□ T7CO TOMES

Of SON JOVl ($49,95)

O 10 MMYAWMDQ£

Of WHITESNAKE ($49.93)
(AhoAvattobto)

□ THE CARMINE APPiCE
MASTER CLASS ($49.95)

□ VHS □ SETA anti

/ enclose $

Name^

Address _

J.(VH$ONLY)
check or

Ctty-

. State _z/p.

money order payable to Hot Licks
Productions Inc (US currency only)
NYS residents add local sales tax
Postage: $4per video In US and
Con 57 Ear, 5 S Amen $9 Asia A Austr.

Charge to my □ VISA □ MasterCard ME
Account #-- Exp. dale _

HOT LICKS PRODUCTIONS INC PO BOX 337 POUND JUDGE, NY 10576

TKO TORRES
OF BON JOVl

Drumming Essentials

For boginning through advanced
drummers, this video covers more
ground than any other. Let Tico, one ol
the world's top drummers teach you
about preparing the drums for studio
work, miking tips, tuning the snore &
other drums, latln rhythms, “whale"
sounds, cymbal work, dynamics, and
even some exercises to help strengthen
the lower back. Plus, you'll learn about
his drum parts to some of Bon JovPs
biggest hits! Jam -packed! (one hour)

TOMMY ALDRIDGE
OF WHITESNAKE

Rodt Drum SoMng A
Double-Bass Workout

Renowned for his flamboyant solos and
double-bass work. Tommy covers a lot of
ground in this hour-long video. Vault learn

double-bass balance, 3 and 5 note
patterns for the feet, double-bass ticks
and solos, bass drum substitutions,
triplet figures, stick twirls In soloing
symbol r ‘chokes” double-bass shuffles
and soloing with your hands! An
Incredible workout for the advanced
as welt as beginning player! (one hour}

MODERN DRUMMER

The December 1985 issue of MD featured
a Club Scene column entitled "Stocking
Stuffers." In it, I offered some suggestions
for items that might be given as gifts to a
drummer (or purchased by drummers as
gifts for themselves). The idea was that these
would be items that drummers might not
need to select personally (such as sticks or
heads), but would still find useful and/or
fun to receive.

I'm not going to reiterate my reasons for
including all of the items in that column.
(You can go back to that issue and check
them out.) But I will list briefly those that
are still available (and still just as valuable
as gift choices). They include: catalogs and
posters; cough drops, Lug Locks, earplugs,
drum muffling devices, Beato Tips, cymbal
polish, stick wrapping tape, product-related
T-shirts, drum gloves, Pro-Caddy Rax, sub¬
scriptions to MD, the Pro-Fan 707, and the
Gig Rug.

Once again, for this column, I've made a
point of selecting items that are reasonably
low in cost (except where specially noted),
and that might be particularly useful to
working drummers. Please note that there
may be other, similar versions of some items
available from other manufacturers. I have
included items that I have used—or at least
tested—myself, and thus am in a position
to genuinely recommend.

If you have a drummer somewhere in
your life (husband, girlfriend, son, mother,
etc.), check out this list of possible gifts. If
you are that drummer, either consider treat¬
ing yourself to some of these items, or leave
your copy of MD —opened to this article—
in a conspicuous place around the house.

$10.00 And Under

Hand Lotion. Any drummer would ap¬
preciate a bottle of hand lotion to carry in
his or her trap case. Loading in or out of
gigs in bad weather can cause dry, chapped
hands, and dry hands make for painful
drumming. There are many excellent lo¬
tions, including those with lanolin, aloe,
and other soothing ingredients. My per¬
sonal favorite is Corn Huskers Lotion, be¬
cause it works well and is available in a
small plastic bottle that is easily portable
and unbreakable. You should be able to
get a small bottle of hand lotion for under
$2.00 in any drugstore.

Cymbal Sleeves. Cymbal sleeves are one
of those items that a drummer rarely thinks
about until his or her cymbals start show¬
ing wear from contact with the threads on
a cymbal tilter. Any number of accessory
companies offer packages of cymbal sleeves
made from a variety of materials. Some are

Stocking

hard plastic or nylon, others are of a softer
material. I can personally recommend
sleeves from Dan-Mar (the harder variety)
and Beato Musical Products (extremely
durable surgical tubing). A package of four
such sleeves should cost around $3.50 or
so at the local drumshop.

Cymbal Totes. A new item that's just
come on the market, Cymbal Totes are
exactly what they sound like: a method for
carrying around one or more cymbals. They
are not a case or protective container, but
rather a comfortable handling device for
holding and moving cymbals from place to
place. If you've ever had occasion to carry
a stack of cymbals of different sizes, you
know that it definitely takes two hands to
manage the job safely and comfortably.
What happens when you need to open a
door? A Cymbal Tote allows you to carry
the stack of cymbals via their center holes,
using only one hand. If you often need to

carry uncased cymbals from place to place
(and especially if you don't encase your
cymbals at all), this simple device could
make life a lot easier. A Cymbal Tote is also
handy to take to the music store when test¬
ing new cymbals, so you don't have to
suspend a 20" heavy ride on your thumb. If
you can't find Cymbal Totes in your local
drumshop, contact Cymbal Tote, c/o Eric
Gonzalez, 303 South Hewitt Street #211,
Los Angeles, California 90021. Cymbal
Totes are available at $4.99 each.

Stick Depot. Pro-Mark recently intro¬
duced this handy item for holding a spare
pair of drumsticks within easy reach. Many

drummers
drape stick
bags around
floor toms to
contain
spares. But a
pair of sticks
immediately
reachable on
a hi-hat or
other stand
can often be

more convenient when a quick grab is nec¬
essary. The Stick Depot consists of two metal
tubes, one on either side of a spring clip.
The clip allows the device to be attached
to any stand, and the tubes are large enough
to accommodate virtually any size of drum¬
stick. The Stick Depot detaches from the
stand as easily as it attaches, making pack-
up quick and easy. It sells for $7.95.

The Fanner. The all-pervasive fatback
snare has lost some of its popularity in
recent years. Higher-pitched snare sounds
have become more popular, with the result
that higher-pitched snare drums (including
piccolo snares) have once again become a
standard item. However, there are still those
times when a fat, beefy two-and-four back-
beat is called for on a given tune. Enter The
Fanner. This is a circular sheet of extra
thick Mylar material designed to be laid
right on the batter head of the snare drum.
It isn't a muffling device per se, although it
does have a certain amount of muffling
action. Its main purpose is to add an addi¬
tional sound, lower in pitch, to the existing
sound of the snare drum. The sheet of My¬
lar is supposed to float freely on top of the
batter head, rather than being secured in
any way.

I've used a Fanner in club situations
where I wanted to dramatically change the
pitch of my snare instantly. And it really
works quite well for this purpose. You do
lose a bit of rebound action from the batter

head, due to
the "floating"
nature of the
Fattner, but
when playing
a simple back-
beat, this isn't
much of a
problem. The
use of two
Fattners to¬
gether lowers
the pitch even
more, and
gives an al¬
most "gated"
sound to the snare. However, it also re¬
duces projection quite a bit, and probably
would work best in a miked situation.

The Mylar material is thicker than a stan¬
dard drumhead, and the sheet must be ab¬
solutely flat in order to work properly. This
means that it's more economical to buy an
actual Fattnerthan to cut up a drumhead of
your own in an attempt to get the same
effect. An old drumhead will be pitted, and
thus won't be perfectly flat; a brand-new
drumhead would be more expensive than

MODERN DRUMMER

by Rick Van Horn

Stuffers II

the Fattner would be in the first place. This
is an interesting sound-varying device (and
an acoustic one, at that) worth trying. It's
available for just under $10.00 per pair
from Timeline Products, P.O. Box 7523,
Vallejo, California 94590.

$10.00 To $20.00

Ratch-lt. Another new accessory item
from Pro-Mark, the Ratch-lt is a combina¬
tion drum key/screwdriver tool that is ideal
for inclusion in a drummer's trap case. The
ratchet handle is shaped to fit comfortably
in the hand and provide excellent lever¬
age. A
hexago¬
nal chuck
accepts a
special
square
drum key
bit, or a
reversible
straight/
Phillips
screw¬
driver bit.

(A small slot in the top of the plastic handle
holds the screwdriver bit when not in use.)
This is a convenient, compact tool for quick
head changes by hand. It's available in
drumshops at around $14.95.

Musician's Key-Per and Pocket Key-Per.
Part of survival in the music business is
establishing a network of people to work
for and with. This includes other musicians,
employment venues, booking agencies,
studios, etc. The Musician's Key-Per is an
organizer designed to help you establish
and keep track of that network. The book is
filled with pre¬
printed page
blanks onto
which you
can fit a tre-
m e n d o u s
amount of in¬
fo r m at i o n
about a musi¬
cian, venue,
etc. A lot of
that info re¬
quires only a
check mark in
a specific in¬
dicator box.

As a result, a large number of entries can
be made in quite a compact space. Major
sections include: musicians, clubs/lounges/
organizations, booking agencies, recording
studios, and other important addresses. In
addition, there is a personal data page,

equipment inventory listings, a time zone
map, a list of AF of M area codes and
locals, an interchangeable and separate
show-dates calendar/expense book, and a
separate pocket address book. The Key-Per
is bound in a brown padded vinyl cover,
and measures about 7" x 9". This book
could be a one-stop reference for most gig¬
ging musicians, who often have a habit of
jotting down names of players or club
managers they meet on cocktail napkins,
business cards, etc.—and then searching
desperately for those names later. The
Musician's Key-Per is available from Liddle
Buddy Productions, P.O. Box 4412,
Spokane, Washington 99202-0412 for
$19.95 (plus $2.25 shipping). A condensed,
paperbound version called the Pocket Key-
Per \s also available for $7.95 (plus $1.50
shipping).

Hit Stix. This is an item that might be the
perfect gift for a very young person show¬
ing interest in drumming. It consists of a
pair of plastic
sticks, each
connected by
a wire to a
small, battery-
powered am¬
plifier/speaker
box (designed
to be worn on
a belt). Either
by tapping the
sticks on a
surface, or
simply by
snapping
them briskly
in the air, the "player" can generate an
electronic white noise sound something like
an electronic snare drum.

Admittedly, this is not a musical instru¬
ment. But in terms of a musical toy, it is
superior in many ways to others on the
market. It's electronic, which makes it "hip"
and exciting, and yet it's still a pair of tradi¬
tional drumsticks. There are no buttons to
push; a certain amount of "sticking tech¬
nique" is required to make it operate. In
this way, a young person could be encour¬
aged to pursue his or her interest in drum¬
ming, while enjoying a very "contempo¬
rary" sound-producing toy. You should be
able to find Hit Stix in any sizeable toy
store. I've seen it in several at just around
$20.00; it may be a bit higher in more
expensive department stores.

Over $20.00

At this price range, we leave the realm of
"stocking stuffers." But there are a few new

items on the market that I think are worth
mentioning, and that might make excellent
major gift items for working drummers.

Musician's Organizer. Somewhat similar
to the Musician's Key-Per, the Musician's
Organizer is designed with additional sec¬
tions and headings that might make it a bit
more useful for touring and/or studio play¬
ers who need a little more detailed infor¬
mation than weekend or local full-time
musicians. Included are a monthly calen¬
dar, a personal resources section, a player
resources section cross-referenced by name
and instrument, a section listing venue re¬
sources including contact name, pay scale,
stage size, sound system, lighting info, etc.,
an instrument inventory, a studio resources
section listing address, phone number,
board size, rates, special gear, etc., an itin¬
erary planner for touring details, a notation
pad with staff paper, an expense report/
receipts section, a zip-lock envelope for
pens, pencils, business cards, and other
miscellaneous items, and a floppy disk
holder for 3.5" 'disks (database, sound
samples, etc.).

The Musician's Organizer is bound in
vinyl, and measures about 8" x 9". Up¬
dated sections will be available from the
manufacturer, so the information can al¬
ways be kept current. If you're a touring
pro or a busy studio player, this book could
possibly make your life a good deal easier.

You can order a copy from M.OR.E. (Mega
ORganizational Enterprises), P.C. Box
17060, Encino, California 91416-7060. The
price is $49.95.

Tap Key II. The original Tap Key, from
Randall May International (creators of the
May EA miking system), was a battery-
powered drum key fitted with a clutch
mechanism to facilitate very quick and even
drumhead tuning. It was designed to fit
into a trap case or stick bag for emergency
changes of one or two heads. Its major
problem was the limited amount of power
it could store in its rechargeable battery.
After a couple of head changes, the unit
had to be recharged. This problem kept it

MODERN DRUMMER

from appealing to the very people who
could most benefit from a combination
torque wrench/powered drumkey—pro¬
vided that it could change a lot of heads at
a time. These people included drum techs,
drumshop repair technicians, people in¬
volved with drum corps, and even individ¬
ual rock drummers with large kits and a
need to change heads frequently.

Enter the Tap Key II. The new version has
been fitted with a removable "battery bul¬
let" in place of its original, permanently-
installed rechargeable battery. This "bullet"
is capable of storing much more power

than the pre¬
vious battery,
and recharges
in a special
charger unit
outside the
Tap Key. With
the purchase
of a second
"bullet," one
can be in the
charger while
the other is in
service, thus
providing the
option of a
fully-charged "bullet" at all times. RMI
maintains that the new "bullet" will easily
power the Tap Key II sufficiently to change
all the heads on a large drumkit.

The new Tap Key also features a hinged
design, allowing it to operate in either a
long, cylindrical shape or in a "pistol" con¬
figuration. This flexibility helps the unit to
fit into tight spaces on a drumkit that's al¬
ready set up.

I've worked with the new Tap Key in
both stage and workbench situations. When
trying to change a head quickly on a gig,
and get it in tune while other noise is going
on, I found the Tap Key II to be a real help.
By setting the adjustable clutch to the de¬
sired tension, it's possible to get a drum¬
head evenly tensioned without having to
really hear it clearly. From that point, of
course, fine tuning must be done by ear,
but the amount of time required for the
overall changing/tuning process is reduced
dramatically.

In a workbench application, when sim¬
ply refitting an entire kit with new heads,
the Tap Key II proved just as valuable, if
not more so, simply by eliminating the "tired
wrist" syndrome that results from loosen¬
ing and then retightening dozens of lugs in
a short period of time. I was able to change
the top and bottom heads of seven tom¬
toms and one snare drum in about 15 min¬
utes—and get them all pretty close to "in
tune" to boot! For drummers who have
occasion to change drumheads frequently
and would enjoy using a tool to make the
job easier and faster, the Tap Key II is defi¬
nitely the tool. However, it doesn't come
cheap. It costs around $115.00, and a spare
"battery bullet" costs an additional $29.00.
However, if this price is regarded as an
investment spread over the entire period of

a drummer's head-changing career, it's well
worth considering. For further information,
contact Randall May International, 77112
B Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach, Cali¬
fornia 92648.

The Beat Bug. L.T. Lug Lock, manufac¬
turer of Lug Locks and the Gig Rug, is now
offering the only "meter monitor" I know
of on the market. The device is a digital
metronome in reverse: Instead of setting a
tempo, it reads out the tempo that is being
played. This allows drummers to constantly
monitor their own playing speed, rather
than having a "correct" speed dictated to
them by a click track, drum machine, or
other outside source.

The Beat Bug is a small unit designed to
fit over the rim of a snare drum and just
come into contact with the outer edge of
the drumhead at a fairly small point. The
entire unit is encased in molded polyure¬
thane for simplicity and durability. When
installed, it sits on the opposite side of the
drum from the player, and is quite unobtru¬
sive. It does not affect the sound of the
drum in any way; it simply reads the vibra¬
tions of the snare hits and gives a digital
readout in beats per minute. It's powered
by an AC adaptor that plugs into the unit
via a mini-plug jack on its bottom.

Okay, the question that comes to your

mind at this

point is, "Why
would I need
such a de¬

vice?" Well,
I've been us¬
ing it non-stop
on my gig

ever since I
got it, and it
has proven
very useful—
and not a little
revealing. Ob¬
viously, its
sole function
is to monitor a drummer's timekeeping—
and I stress "monitor." This readout pro¬
vides an aid to keeping steady time at a
desired speed, and to doing so naturally,
via one's own sense of control. There isn't
that feeling of being imposed upon that
can come from working with a click track—
and yet the end result is the same. All a
drummer needs to do is to be aware of the
speed he or she wants to be playing at, and
keep an eye on the meter. If the time starts
to vary, the meter indicates the change so
that an adjustment can be made. Every¬
thing comes from the drummer, rather than
from the outside, and thus the solidity of
the drummer's time is improved while his
or her playing remains uninhibited.

Another tremendous advantage to using
the Beat Bug is that it establishes an un¬
questionable point of reference for tempos
that are often "in dispute." Once the band
has agreed upon the "correct" tempo for a
given song, the drummer can use the Beat
Bug to verify that the song is being played
at that tempo every time. From a psycho¬

logical point of view, this can relieve a lot
of tension among bandmembers—no small
contribution in itself.

The Beat Bug serves another useful pur¬
pose when it comes to establishing tem¬
pos. I'm generally the one who counts off
the tempos for my band's songs, and I've
come to appreciate the fact that I can use
the Beat Bug as a gauge on nights when I
might be feeling a little tired, or a little too
excited, and thus might be more likely to
count in the tunes too slow or too fast. If I
have done that, the readout on the Beat
Bug tells me, and I can then bring things
back to the pre-established tempo both
comfortably and accurately.

The Beat Bug costs $150.00, which may
seem a bit daunting. But when you com¬
pare it to the cost of a pro-quality 20" ride
cymbal (another timekeeping device), it's
significantly less. And for the contributions
it can make to a drummer's playing—musi¬
cal, psychological, and physical—I person¬
ally think it's well worth its price. Informa¬
tion on the Beat Bug can be obtained from
L.T. Lug Lock, Inc., Box 204, Tonawanda,
New York, 14151.

Well, there you have my 1988 list of
"stocking stuffers." Let me stress that the
purpose of this article is not to promote
any of the products I've included. Rather,
it's to give you some idea of the amount of
useful accessory equipment available on
the market specifically designed to make a
drummer's life easier. Drop by your local
drumshop or music retailer for even more
suggestions, and be sure to have a very
merry Christmas and a prosperous New
Year!

!--

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ewy cim* you ptiy-

WrLiir for free brochure tlkk-BT, And
info on our pale need Quick Stand m
the ONLY auiomatle WehJui si^nd

^ T&C&; J?k>,

Box 2G4, Tonawanda. NX 34151
"PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS"

100

MODERN DRUMMER

Please send me: □ Back To Basics (video) $39.95 □ VHS □ Beta

□ Contemporary Drummer + One (audio/book/charts) $32.95
(in a plastic storage case)

□ Plastic Storage Case for Contemporary Drummer + One
($4.00 including shipping)

Ptease add $4.00 shipping and handling per order ($7.00 outside the U.S.) N, Y. State residents add 8V*% sales tax PAL available—add $6.00,
(allow 2-3 weeks for delivery)

Make check or money order payable to DCI Music Video

541 Ave of Americas, New York, NY 10011
Name_MUSI*

WECKLon AUDIO

VIDEO!

Dave has become one of today’s most admired
and influential drummers. Together with DCI
Music Video he has created two state-of-the
art instructional packages.

CONTEMPORARY DRUMMER + ONE

presents a unique approach to learning howto
read and interpret charts. It consists of an
audio cassette with nine tunes, (each with
and without drums), nine separate studio
charts, and a comprehensive book which
explains Dave’s approach to each
piece.

This package now comes in a
plastic storage case which is
also available separately.

BACK TO BASICS is a video¬
tape on which Dave outlines his
philosophy and technical
approach to the drums. He
presents invaluable information
on stick control, brushes, foot tech
nique, independence and more. Plus, he performs
with several tracks from Contemporary Drummer + One
and plays some explosive solos. An encyclopedia of drumming techniques.
An amazing video from an amazing drummer.

To order, check with your local music retailer or use the coupon below.

Address.

Apt. #.

Visa/MC Accepted (circle one)

Card #_Exp_Signature-

To order by phone (Visa/MC) call: 1-800-342-4500 (N.Y. State (212) 691-1884)

I n Canada: Add $10,00 Canadian (plus $7.00 shipping) In Europe: Music Mail Ltd., 43 South Molton St., London Wt Y1HB, Tel. 01-667-6309

Ml RIMO, LUDWtC A EVANS Drumheads ai a huge
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.iddn'WHl ■l.ifnjyil eTn^iopr for Imp- Sample^, i Pi lor-
niiit :.'ri .ird [fficfcu PiMfiiu^Mcin £prvirrS. J1FS Hrmnn
Ave.. Gncinoafli, Ohio 4.->21l or call I.H.l) 6b 5-2 >47
Compare, You Won't Find A Berber Oe-il!

ShMiwm pillion Malta 54*5^9, 5US-10TO in Stock I
Will ben any JtlvO-nr^d P-mc' Allanlj Pro F^us^rjn,
P104) 426-DRUM. Used SLiS- I0CXJM SWfl. Used 5DS-
H S749. Cad inlormation lew SOI) ncimlKrf.

CHRISTMAS SP-ECiAlS!

SUPER DISCOUNT VIDEO AND BOOK ILVEK! M ft K
P^OduclioAS. Bid- Green*d£je Circle, Lanahatne. ha
1^:H7 (21 SI 7!1CLNE1A'S

DOUBU PEDALS Iswen in USA. ow, PEARL,
LUDWIG, Cfl-TOO, i CP IDQ-DRlJM. Ail^nM
Pr? P**fcus^iofi, CaU or w*it-e ior free drtc(n^il flyer.

Spri.ig Rtted. Smyrna. GA JQ08D. Call nrloffma-
Eio^ frji- 5Df) mrrtilKnL

‘■'VINTAGE BLACK BEAUTIES j, RADIO KINGS'"*
Ijtid them at the Vintage Ortim Centecl LVespecialize m
■siMrfcji,*' Linly and nlftr one of the lu'^enr ieJecfions. or
LftahJge wJ.r-re tfrvim. ^nywhcwe.'C-aB EOra frtt availabil-
rty liil (Si SI 69^- Bby i t^;i I^Tl rjr wriri^: VINTAC.il
DRUM GEM'EK. e JSB-B Route 5, Lpbertyviil*; r IA S2Ji67.

Mic:Hh T->rryijf Wrench [T«a»n Tjnc-r. Tune ll^cr, accu-
■arflv wilhpul tuavii^ Hi liij'ai dnin. A Iflillily c hrrmr'd
fleet bool Guarjoleed. Send $10.00 !□: KlTWlT r 4**2 !
N,E. 60qh, Portland, OR 57216.

ittMC Kcrg, .Mid alhtfr-rx'w M GmriU& hrjinrt' Piom Mj-
fhines-ln Sroc-k! We Iw-Jt .uny adv^rthc-d prifi.e. AMrmla
Pro Percuss kin. i4D4> 4.3A-1 "At. C.dl mrp. 6lltl nunv
b*r

fREtr WIN A LUDLV-iG 10 PIECE DOUBLE B/\5S
DRUMSLl NAME I Hi STARS $WEEPSTAKES-CA11 OR
WRITE fOK UHAILS. ATLANTA PRO PERCUSSION-
2524 SPRING RD... SMYRNA, GA 3Q0BQ H04? 436
J7B4.

RADIO kimGS; f \w nair^L-- Circa Pcd'csl ct^t-
rion, S3 r SOO. iBlflt 741 *ri¥i!

RCMJERS'KCKiERS DRUMS. PARIS. ACCESSORIES.
MEMfilLOC, SWIVO'MAI l( . R- ir,fl R-TBO L^, rinm.
T todfii, Cymlul it^ndb-, PtiLik. iHi-HaE ‘M.indv Hng^- , 'i
C!?r!jiinel Lugo Heads. Add on ITruais. Compfeti*
ftims and 1 >jq 3 Tom Hokfers. Dynasonit *rtaieh jiilJ
frames. Rogers Drum Sticks, AH Sizes, kj^sa Slid
C'tnldyy SlkL irdy?. Bass Drum HtKjps-, Drum Thrones.
Vii'L*- Boui^hi All T hi L Drum Invprrlnry fpnm rnrxipr

IVkrbiL.il IriviiunwmiH- Irk SLcm k R :ilv M.ip> iSht-Ns jiiH
Covering. Al^o. Ufed l udwig. Sllnffrljind. Gn-iM k.
Snno- r Drunis. Parts, Call for those hard la -find parts
and acHit^ori^ Al Drew's Music, 526-524 F^onl SroiK-,
WmiwwtK^. R,l f?2flg^. Te\, m\ \ 764-35 52

VINTAGE S^ARES, K. ZIlDplANS, CATALOGS, ( ALL
151 53 69 5-4651/69J-J4II OR SE^D STAMPED ENVE¬
LOPE TOR UST; VINTAGE WUM CENTER, RR1-95BI i.
LlBFRTYVILLi. IA 52567

Ntw “Neil Pt^rL Mcadel" dryn'i L'jI| ch v-rit-^ I'im
FREE cjialoit. Cnll inlnnmariurh Nvr loll hreelflXl number.
Atlama Pro Pereussion. 252b SpunR Rd., Smyrna. GA
100BO L4D4H 36-DRUM

USiM Sees: Ftento ft \M . wilh h.irdw.iw $?99r Lmdw^ 'l
pc. wkh hardware $-l e TV; LurMig 111 pt rfouble Iviib
wilhi hardware SB99! Allanta Pro pHCUHkm 14(W?
DRUM.

BC^RSN: DRUMS LW JI.rC 1H T.hiC JL I JyCONSlGNR [1
HORRICAN DRUM SCHOOL 141 7) 770- TflT7.

VINTAGE DRUMS. RADIO KING—W.F.L.—LUDWIG
ft LU OW1G—LEEDV—LUDWIG— GR ETSCH - RO-
CERS-SLINGEKLAND-"-SETS. SNARES. TOMS.
rLOQk TOMS, roOTPEDALS. CALF SKIN HEADS.
HtX)I J 5. KI.M5- L L.G5. STANDS. PTC. IT VOU NEED

it we can find m r r wp'kp t7,ikkii W} ft m:

AL DREWS MUSIC, 526 FRONT STREET. SVCKiN-
SOCKO, Ri I-401-769-JSS2.

Dbc riixsl Drum Euuipsnenl. Cril'nn W4*r Drum Shop,

lb Nrwthlield Ave. - . VW<.i Or.ir^r. NI C37ll=.2 i/m I 736-
3113

■TKICGtRS 1 OfiDER TODAY FOft IHESE FANTASTIC
TRIGGERING DEVICES- WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH
ALL POPULAR bLFCTRQNIC DRUM UNITS, DRUM
MACHINES AND MIDI CON I RTK I PltY STND $19 H5
U.S. EACH 12 FOR J35.fW> S ,l AYAiSLb TO: M_|. C(X>
PEK ENTERPRISES, BOX 43464. DE1RC.3IT. MIL’.HU., AN
4fl.24t —Gt.3AWA.VTffD r

Ccftd&r Urum t.o. noi cmiLv %~vs maple \hrW\ t^ivning
material a-nd hard^-'are, but v^e-v^'iM maifedrumi

fur ym.- BUY DIRECT jnd SAVE. Wrile fur inf-omia-
limi. Cunder Lhum Col. 1122 1 2Hi Avenue. Humaville,
AL J5-SL6.

E.AME5 HANI>CRAFTfD S^nh Amt-rfon Biich Dium
Mldll. Re let. I irrrirt Fini j lrrM t . N^il-.jr.iihinr', <it Ma^lH 7 r-
Lune unfinished cn i ir^ittf sheik. Dt^i^n y<jur own
in-itoimcnl as only Ihe d^scemin^ player can...for Iree
hrnchtKe wfFte- fame^ Dmnn, 22^ Hamilton Street.
S.ilij.ju 1 .. MA Lll^nf.. 161 71 ?U-1 411^

KEN ILUSORIO'S PRO OfiU.M SHOP .Acoustk and
elpi-(K^ii.> Pf-irl. Tama. Greisch. Ludwg. ROC, eic.

Kpcor^Mnj^ jnd IftHfuLliun 160S Sonora Blvd.,
V.ille^i. C >. n-J^-ll 17(1?:. 642-[,JPt|M

Used: Drum Wurkshqfj, 24 X 16 Bass Dnim. 13 X 14
Tenor Tom, lb X lb Floor Turn. $ t, 100.0(] (C*n. findtl-
Edmonton, Canada. 1 (403> 4S5-4B3S.

POWDER COAT YOUR DRUM HAJtDWAWf. IKAKS-
LUCENT AND SOLID COLORS. BE UNIQUE, IX7K" I
DC LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. EK>XYKO IE aim N.
HflNT^ ST. fSA- DWTN PARK CA 51706. ^fllAL
UAl.

DRUM STICKS S3,00 PAIR. 21 MODELS. STEVE WEISS
MU5&C 1215! 329-1637.

Dynaco-rd ADO-one wilh Binriper, E4,2tH>. L .lil'y^
V>irnH Chcsi Si.500. F-mu SP-1200 wiih Disks and

l !ij.;L'n ca^. (2^00. 5eri<>u^ i.m-ly, i.OOd) 460-2602.

b ! ,'2 X 14 B LACK BEAUTY, RADIO KINGS, CRET5CH
ROCKET LEEDY liKOAEJWAy (61 >) 662-1 533.

H\r Sate; vinuje Snare anti nm, Pr& 1^19. 5nait by
LetHily \% 14’ Si IfY"; hy L LdwijJ, .thd I udwit; i* 24 M X
14.5". Btrth y h i m’d conthtloo wi\h L-imh-iiJe drumhparlv
5esid damped env^lupe fur ptclure. |. ALniir^mery,
tot. Lands^^nt? Dr. Bt.KkdbL.rj. VA 24060. (70 jj 552-
6735,

filin^erl rtplJCen-MihL pjflb I't^ I^-KbI llenb are avail
.iLitif Ihrough majov |>eitussiun ^tu^i, Fur iTn- name uf
;l\e dealer in s'oui area write: Siinsjertand LSA Inc^.
P.D. Bn« 158, SC 3Wi.

fREE! DRUM CHARTS., CATALOG A SAMPLE! Ab*no-
lutdy ih> ■ IksI! STARR PRODUCTS. Buk 247—FSlD,
NantiBl H\ I09>4.

5aS' BARNARD'S SUFXRGLOSS DRUM MaHRIAU
5 dnirtny -S40.99 WL- h*v\.- replied oor stock
wilh Haperlot iTi.i: l- ri ■ 1 1 SL. PE Fi-[H CSS5 II ^ ■ It In-^tv k>n^irr
: |nd r^si^rs Lit.il, (602! 279-‘1641.

ROLAND DDR-30, 6 DORUM PADS, COLLARLOCK
iiTAND. X-TRA5: S2.3™.00 SIMMONS SDS-5 5PC.
RED- $975J» SIMMONS SDS-5 BKA1N 4 MODULES:
55LHI.UO. |JDS>73T.24<i1,

Jeff Pfer-caro. CfL 1 ^ S^wineMe, Carlos V?Ra, Rikki Rork-
siL Mike Bailed ft hundreds irra« use Varlty Dturn
Shouj'^ Custom Maple Smrv Lirumt, 1 3636 Burbank
13Mi.. Van Nuyi. (> 9140F, (SIfli 994-1 7=s5.

ddrum -SUxIn^ Mnd^H (Brain Onlyb kr>.id 5i«
Modules. Ewtra Canrld^es. Excellent CtNiduittu $1
<21 >1259-4520.

DRUMMER Ortl«:iii™ iOmpleit'. JW>.00
or Bew Reasonable cUfer. Dow-nbeaTs.. 1 VW'M#. ^.A.5-fc.
R_ Hines. 1 5 C^enry Hill Lane, Meniden, CT 06450.

DEALERS”' VATEK PERCUSSION |MC. WORLDS .MOST
Dl$t RIMINAriNG MFC. ( IF Mj?IVATF. I AFaTt ft 5JC-
NATL.RE MODEL DRUMSTICKS, OFFERS IH^ HIC,ihF-
EST QUALITY U.S.A. HICKORY AND MAPLE HttUM-
STICKS AVAILABLE. GUARANTEED STRAIGHT AND
DEFECT FRC[, MA-L: 270 CENTRE ST,, HOLBROOK,
MA flj 14 3 TFI ■ 6 E 7- 767-1A77, TAX: 617-767-fXl 10

DRUMMERS-LIMITED OFFER. ‘'TWIRLEKS* Only
Siitks^ Ln [hi? wv r l(L *i|h Uiih-in-COMROL RINGS plus
jnfithJLiiiMi*. EXCELLENT trir BEGINNERS, T^rE dnjm-
<jiik.i while fy-liurrm.i-;. jaJZ^Rofk^Nirt Club dnim-
iners. S-9.95 pf. plu-^ $1,50 P^H, tolal Si 1.45. Twid a.-
silk. Bcw 5I26MD, Poland, Ohic44>14.

I ImiU-d tfu^nliiy'! R^pa^irdn 53 .lt liyh’i-d stkk^, 2nd
quality, only JM.Mj plus ’Shi pp^inp. Vdcot^iVE', PtJ Bnx

70215. Pa^dena. CA 91107.

Frt-H IA j lailsnr1 uniput. 1 pcrevsfiion p^idur »nrludin^
Dick Petrie Vkled and Auekrt lapui. TOIL I RIF 1-FHT0
PLAV MUSlifJ exre^r L A.

Gig> cm Crui-^i Ship?. Sr-nd 51 5 3Jid 5A5E for complete
inf-urrn.iliur* piLiii-l iiir ludi^ l onl r,i< N its. phene- num-
bi'rt and qualificai^ni. TM1 Eniwpnsge*. ti Vvi-Hissy^m
Dr., Endlcoff, NY 13760.

**** ■ ■ -”” 1 **■■ ■ ■ VINTACI DRUM-S" H1 **** - fr *** <i 1 **
FIND WHAT YOU'VE BEEN 5LARCHING FORI L^Mig
Black Beaulieu—Sli^erland Radies Kings—Grc-tedt—
L«m:^—V hfi age Catalogs—K. Zifdjian?—-Rogers -eL. more!
We^^ initr v in 4-intnjio only , .ihat's- h<>w we can c^fer
■LinL 1 of ilte- largest ■rf'ltr.iioris uf vLiUagr insert 1 drvimb-
.Pi^ywherei' W r ti huy-Miirirjdr.'-ujiisi^ri. Cull u ....yriy 'll
kke our Joined ptr&onai service <315? by-J-BbTl, b'J.1.
3bII ..of write lor a 6ee avaiiabilth 1 list; VINTAGE
DRUM CENTER. 95B Route *1, Litoertyvilfr, IA 52567.

Cymbal vmc?t!H b^s any ^iidplan cymbal yrju need al
gn-iil prices, FAST dplhviery. nnd FBI I f Rf LGHT

anywhere -m rhe Un ied fkaies. Call uci^v fix ffH-TKily
service [717) 194-3706.

102

MODERN DRUMMER

I ]RUMS, FTC. Das< iMJiii EJiirfrt Oiillet has TAMA,

SONOH. ^nd PKEMILR Drumvft? ready *0 -ihip niyy-
where in :he tinned Stah»- Vie wjni ytiuT busings
Dhjwh, Elt. will beat all Olher advE-rLmd pcin'v (..all -.iv
for a price. You won't be disappointed. iS 71 19*-

DKUH 394-DNUM.

THE MASTER MUSICIANS DRUM SHOP—Wi SPE¬
CIALS IN USFD AND VlNlACL DRUMS! NT*
SONGR -1 PC., FLAME DANCE. Sfrt",. 5J INCLRI AM3
v RGtLlNC BOMttEtT RADIO KING 4 PC., MINT! h(l\
5EINGERLAND 4 PC.. BLACK .MARINE PEARL. 54<K.
OTHER SETS, S-NAkr?, SI NC.il FF. PARTS AVA LABLE’
too MUCH TO LIST! Wt HUY, SELL. TRADE! NEW
N03LE .4 COOLEY, TAMA, PEARL LUDWIG.
ZILDHAM, PAISTE! WE SHIP UPS! CALL FOR PRICES
AND AVAILABILITY! ilOtl 261-2111.

CYVIB.AL.S!! CYMBALS!! 7ifdji<im. all series, including
BRILLIANTS, PLATINUMS III WiKk. WHOLESALE
PRICES! Satisfaction guaranteed. Call rtf wriiu few FKFF
flyer. Wad de l I s Cymbal Warehouse, P.O. tiv% 10ft,
Lemhburg, PA I5656,

COMPLETE SELECTION OF BOOKS, CA55I17*5, AND
VIDEOS. Call or wnie tor disoamu llv^- MEW) -3 i l>-
37B6 ATI ANTAPfiQ PERCUSSION, J526Sp*inR Road,
Smyrna, CA 30000, tall ■nf^rm.iiion for fiOQ numljor

A KM LYTlC DfffUM TUNJi/VG reCummitfvird hy Rum
K unkel, Su-nor. Modem Dtummof. tompleie Dium Tun-
■nj induction. Cel 'Yuur" Drum Sound. Send 17.9S
lo: Steven Walter, Ho* I^dpts.., IN 46240-0352

lnwi; rJitrr.'.MsJiCAS mse n^fV; NuDeview N*e-
es-tary:' Ui jM Ctwph Trick, t j-.rly JiMmrd. Th^iM.- pj^i!-.
describes technique. Send SS.Sn bn steyen Walter,
bo* 4035 L tadpls , IN 46240-0 31J-.

POSTON: RJHN HONKKJAN SCHOOL OF MODERN
DRUMMING. 1.6 T 7) 770^)7,

DRL-MIAm! Trouble with solos? Here's ihe npe ihai
wii help yo j wuh creiiEive soto development and lima
impf^veny^ni. All y-ju need la do is jusl j-am With it:
HQ-95 plus |1 .S0 tor 5 AH il>- Percussion Egress. PO.
Bt:-K 17 J1, RncktorO, IL AHH'l.

EASY' READ ROCK STUDY PACKAGE Leam to
read ..fLfllnlesslyl Open d<w*s to yr*jj iutofe with our
fasnews Tywu CufcircimLepi {tor banners-! Gachev pres),
Endorsed by Hellsoa Lundm, Chapin Includes accent.

Bilk and lhi> btE'vt Ri)fk tickv. 4 i!' mingle raSM.'d<‘ p .ly-j

each eKHcke wnh musk: Jl^.55 fttf c*ricire pjiiyrge.
Add S2.00 for S&H. PfiTcunsion Enfir^s, P.p. Ftes* 17^1,
Rcckfcvrd. IL 61110. VKA/Ma&terta#d HOTLINE: mi Si
9SZ-3147-

EASY READ |AZZ STUDY PACkACjE At Llsl! Ljk\.it4.:riLi.
b ij. Band. Beifop. La1hn>'|azz. Includes solos, fills, ac-
i-rnh', V4. r iM 17/ft. i*vpfi Fmpshes, Grefll ^r leache^?-
even briter for irtucktfiih! Eold h>u| cH-^rt^ if.ich yrwE tn*
read d Ihe LLHJ minute Easy Read cjHelW mck.-di-v
music widi 4 wi[h«5ij1 drum tra<k. far entrre

package. Ptejsc add 5?.C^ Ittf SA-H. Anather Ixwk thii
WPdts ^rtmi Percussion Express, P.O. Box
R«kfwd. IL b 111n. HOlLfNE ifiISJ M2-3147

t-ASY KtALJ f-USKJN STLiUY PACKACE-Tht ullirn.fli-
challenpel The bo-:A leachers .isk^i u^ lo wme. iJp bn
;he minute c-ompfex RocSc & Mz^ padems made easy,
r^d-txil charts challe^jic y&utolhe maxt Includes Ihe

IrtU.^l t.jaLlrl, tflc- rndnryd hy KiMiny Ar-oncdl and Panl
^Verti< iN. i.isy R^jiI i .is^el!i. j in5;Pi*drs movr wilh A
withoul drum tracic. JlS.yS for mi n- ^icLi^e, .*dd
S2.J>n for SftH Chan^ii 1 ^ihe way vou learn and play,
ivif'it- PrrLinsion P,n, Buis i7:TI. Roclferd, IL

hlllO ttOFLINt IKTS) 4h^.U J7.

DON'T PLAY ALONE! Our service matches musicians
tyy inlcresls, region, nt^i-iliei, and g<i.nk For SU/year,
we Supply IN? names. You savL- refectal cosis! Fie^
=nlu . -.•ippikarjttfi, MUSIC MATCH, Box 420, Adams,
MA0l22n

PERCUSSION ES^PftfS^ GROOVE TAPE: G« your lime
tocher with ah is unique 'TW: Machine 1 ' P-attice
CasseCle Super hqi b.ivi playL* - patterns jFIow you 3o
p>r.i< lie lmr ftfiriect time to Ruck. Funk, l-uzz. Better :Ajp
j meltunOrYic bcc-auw A ^fOKjvc?! A^k ydiur ltf<ichpr Ml
send S10.0S plus Si ,SQ I'or^AH Ip: Pertys.tmfi Express,
F.O. Box 1 7Jl, ^u-.kiu'cL ILblUU

FTRCU5510N EXPRESS LEARNING CATALOG—$1
twinge ^iu fjgr cijtreN catling icjidirinp, .ill ol mar Ljic^I
pfutkjn r iidrutnalmn. Pernussior Express. PO- Pkm 1 7TE,
R^-kiOi-ri. IL 6I1TI1

FUNK SESSION! Here's lhe latest efectnc funk music,
Fiftp .in- shi? charts VOU ace li e drummer! Ei^il
t'sCilirlg i ir !u,i> till (.k.irts put yim. in n ‘-.l-.idici ^iludlicwt ..
are you reariSj-! chan* & c.issene ?wiih ^ without dfurr.
tracksl S1B.9S. Please add i >.00 (at SiH Petcussior.
Express. P.O. Box 1731, Rockford, IL blHO.

ARl YOU PHYSICALIJ-fFl ^ Hf A I1HUMMFR? (4.H
p:aven (i^u!l-. wiih "THE DRl/MMi R'S FITNESS
GUIDE." a total ccmdilicnirifl program spec.iticalSy de-
?iqneH <n* 1h? re$d<; ol et-iery drummer. 12C 1 pages, wdh
mnn? ih<m 50 E^-fe and easy, illustrated oerciw^ ir.
enhance your tienSUh, pcrlVjmync c. jnd- appearjpa-
tXYN f HFSFTATE! STAR! NOW? tU DAY MONEY-
BACK GUARANTEE - f Irtfcfi frum: FII TO HL PUBLISH
INC, I42S Ojiiusofi Ln . Soquel. CA *35071. Send
S14.3S pluii S2.0U shipping Caflrl ri^ide^U add £7*

| H ix,

DRUM CHARI READING On^ uf tin.- btsJ ie*L-. wl-
know on lhe MBlijei.t..." AH.D. magazine. Mail $1S.00
Ed: Gif Graham. I .T WinEhrop. WincheHer. MAO 16^&.

New |erwy .Vhtxsl of Percussion Home Sludy Material
\rrid uw brochure, I 6iSnrthfk?ltl Avr. WHi Oracier. Ni
070*2 :201l 7J6-3IT3--

IF YEJU WANT TO BF A PRO, Y'OU VE COT TO READ
LIKE ONE. READING RHYTHM can leach dnd/oedm-
m,iiicjl|y improve yourygN reading m\ft rnMhfrWML-
caiFy i jIluIjM, vi i ■ | i hy 1.1 ep ■■ cuct-i ihat t unt enlfaie
sukl v rhylhm. WVre sr> sun 1 iFut uiuTI find READ
INC RHTTHM Ehe melhod book irvi leacnlr^lhis eipen
till skill rh;*i we are offering a iO-day money hack
gijaranR?e, no questions asked, \to'U pay shipping, Scfw i
JH.9Y la; i H Products, 12225 Wn.cn- $M, f $r+
314, Las Ar^liK., CA90W*

2^ Popular RudimenK cassn-lte p-Tu k-i^e wilh booklets
SL*^d SS.QO to: SLVV, Jl >1 37 As-enitfo TfanqoiPj, R.P.V.,
CA S027*

Dl-itiu Diuirinung Ln-r (hr ndvonL rd DmmmL-r, L^uelti-
pdLkdge. Strict SA.5EI lu: 5LW, IpT.l? AvminJd Tt *rk

quila. R.P.V., CA 902 74.

WORLDS FASTEST HANDS Wanl lh™f Nci kill, «
plirtunff Vcdeo Fry Slingerhind o»1i^ i C i nd<H'^ic, farl- yOlj
ofroca bc-inft second t^J? $29.^5 Dirk Cully 21649
Sonoma Cl . Boca Rjioo. Fla. 32433.

ADD FLASH TO ^OUR FLAYING by learning Umi,
7.virJiMg 7'echn^ur‘S Fully illu^rattd insirucnons make
it fun and PAsy in twirl like ihc- pros. Ltysks vny impress
th-o. Ttifce HorSaylesJ Spec^aJ fidee: j j-.SUppd. Receive
/'nw wLh order, I 2 elfecLiwj lips on pnivendrijJ. SWc*
5Hpp*fir, Slik Wtwfcs, PO. Wo* Kin^mnn. AT 5h4fl7

,!i Tick f w-vKifiw; vttjf o 1 h is i nsi hi a. i il inai
VIDEOTAPE lAvLhinsjfjre?; 6Hr shu^v/. tf%e style
technique of (*vr:r I h vaninons of Stick Twvrfs, SlicJF
F-'i'ps, jnd5ffrii- Throws. Th = I ape is whal Showman-
>hip is jII nboutr W5 ar BETA 519.95 plu« *2.0Q
-.hi |.>; i> 11u. anti handling. S^nd rtwck or money -order IO.

Master Video. Balboa A-Mt-., Suite C, San Uc^o
CA92I2S.

CASS£T 1F MAIL COURSE, SlutV-h on SWt. Crjbhani
L^dllipd, EHriZiitH, LSnrCuim, Ljji'kJ, Muull, ‘•-ij-.ni rg.

L^>d7JeMit f>.Hl r .■ -tr*. j rivia | ,OkJ F-K.lipriquK. ScrHi J" ■ LTI
SASE 1o- J. Indyke, 45 kaida Lane, Pliirview, NY
11 603, For Private In^Emciiofi IS 16!- 6^ I-95S6-

FREE: DRUM CHART*. CATALOG 4 SAMPLE! Abso¬
lutely the most Ckor, Accurate chj.ru available Any¬
where! Rock, Fop, l uok, Fus-irtfi ft more' New C-haris
released Monthly! STARK PRODUCTS. Hot 247-IM - ,
Ndi**ic-I. NY IC^Jih-l

BEGINNING DRUMMERS- Play tike a pro! Down m
ijdith yju dv n<Kw available. Hu j .h 54.00 Cuarenleed.
frQlitk Enteiprises. FC13 o.k 1770. Hickw. NC286<13

DRL-M BOOKS AND VIDEOS AT HUGE SAVING5.

StEVE WE 155MUSIC 1115) i29r 1 ti?.

AFRO-CAR ISBEAN RHYTHMS APPLIED TO THE
DKUMSET. An t-.isy tu fill law manual rtctmnniendt.nl
hy H.srvry Gi-egL| ^incf IJmn t.smu-

laru Sc-rni 111 .tKh Chuck E^Fvermaix P'O lkj)i 79 l r Han
Gahriei. CA 91 778-0791.

DRUMMERS! Nijw yuu ? an t r^aiS wi|h Ijv rrx.Ksl MiYi^M.-
Vurly \yVlB-m! Ovi-r A4 irl 111■ •:.■ 11 vjni.LliM.ins with ,r H4
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Allciw 2 ww-kv $ F'P.SlJ plus 53.00 |Hiuage foe each set.

Learn to play double and hi-hat ^»nMjllaneou&ly-
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S3.9? pEiss S2.rX> S&H Sr>: A. I . tefvw.zi, PO- &>* 234,
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FREE Catalog or Drum Books fi T^uws. Dofaoe Publica-
Uons, 4 27 Uniondale Aver, Uninmlnlc, NY 11,553-

DKllMMEflSH! mapiay^ yaur tedrnpijue and over-alt
ptfitfcimT-.inrtf wifli ODOfi- A EVENS, -i co^oplei^ 2iB I
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New lersev Schtxjl of Prrcus&itm. wfid for brochen- I h
htorthfidd Ave., V^l Qr.in^ Nil O70S2 120 0 73-6^
3 H3r

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in Pencu&sitFi, Bi^ Band ChDrt>. RtM:k. INjp. Fusiaii.
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mstrunw^ls, Vt>ice Thwry and songwril-ng. Musical
Director, David Kevins, B.A., M A m S.M.. n*n Kinp
Highway, Brooklyn. NY M 223 f7ia* 339-4*1-09.

Baku; GrnrH McnL-fw^lijdiO'uf Dfulnming. B.M. Bb-rklee
Callage af Musir. T.S.U. instructor. ( kT11 74?-STIX.,

DrumnM?rs. Learn All slyk?* of drumming an alt iFw
percussion in^iFumt-nb, irK-lucfen|( clrunHS-t and mnlMs-
lahn Bock S fc ercussH>n Sludln WUJ 992-954 S.

HIL.UY WITH DRUM CHARTS! ! RLt CATALOG A
SAMPLE! Staif PrSdLJCti 2474N11. NaniiH. NY
UW-54,

Rt.. : 5S MOV- Me*- .lefsoy's Foremc>sr Drum I nrslructor—
since 1%4. Call for an appointment 1201) TSS-fTTFafi.

Cvnii'nurtfrM^a#e r^i

MODERN DRUMMER

103

Aq otoyd

0 „ ranC e! What more can you ask for!

Best Pads! Best Sampling! Best PP , an Haugland

EUROPE

ddrum, Inc. • 25 Lindeman Drive * Trumbull, CT 06611 • Telephone (203) 374-0020 * Fax (203) 371-6206

DRUM MARKET continued from pnge 10 .J

Atlantic City & Phi la. area: Master The Wisdom Of

Legends. Develop your musical mind & body to a

higher degree. AM Styles. Also Finger System. 30 yrs.

exp. Teacher, Writer & Performer, Armand Santarelii 1 -

609-822-9577,

"Visual Aids," the book of showmanship drummers have
wanled for years. "Visual Ards/ a 42 page completely
iilustrated guide to learning the twirls and flips used
worldwide by the pros. The book has five chapters on
twirls plus three chapters on flipping. No future show¬
man should be without this book. To order send SI0.00
plus $2.00 shipping and handling (£ 12,00 total} to:
"Visual Aids* P.O, Box 294, Winter Haven, FL 33882-
0294, Foreign Orders Accepted. Allow 4 weeks for
delivery.

BOSTON: DRUMS BOUGHT/SOLD/CONSlCNEO,
HORRIGAN DRUM SCHOOL. (617} 770-3837.

WANTED: DRUMMERS TO RECEIVE FREE DRUM
CHARTS CATALOG I Starr Products, Box 247-D8, N an¬
il et, NY 10954.

Cash or trade for OLD DRUMS andi CATALOGS, (615)
662-1533.

Manufacturers: Drummer seeking drum products to
market in FLA ./Southeast area. Drummer, Box 2235,
Brandon, FL 34299.

WILL PAY TOP DOLLAR for tunable Ludwig Tambou¬
rines with wooden shell, double rows of jingles and
coaled plastic head. Must be in excellent condition.
Call Akiva (212) 885-1155, after 8 pm.

3 Sonor Delux cymbal stands from 1965 to 1973. 8ob

IT'S QUESTIONABLE continued from page

poor job markets improve their situation by
renting a hall, or arranging the use of school
or other public facilities to stage their own
dances. Of course, the income here is un¬
predictable, since you'll be working for
whatever the "take" is at the door, less your
expenses. But at your just-getting-started
level, it might be more important for you to
gain experience and exposure than to make
a great deal of money right away.

The rehearsal process is very important
when just getting started. You need to have
a place where you can rehearse reasonably
often, and in privacy, until you feel confi¬
dent about your repertoire and presenta¬
tion. At that point, it might be good to
invite some people whose opinion you re¬
spect to listen to you at a practice and give
you their comments. You don't want your
first appearance before anyone at all to be
at a paid performance.

Most of all, remember that you need to
keep your musical activities fun. By all
means, adopt a professional attitude and
do the very best you can to make your
group popular and profitable. But don't let
the "work ethic" overshadow the fact that
playing music, whether for the paying pub¬
lic, for one's friends, or just for one's self,
should always be an enjoyable activity that
provides you with personal satisfaction and
entertainment. Good luck! «

READERS'PLATFORM continued from pagv 6

clip, and two adhesive pads. Bob men¬
tioned that he prefers less obtrusive, flatter
pickups, while ours is 1/2" high. But some
drum rims are almost that high. Our trigger
was designed so that the cable, when
plugged into the top of the DT-1, would
flow over the rim without touching it,
thereby eliminating false triggers from the
cable bouncing on the rim, and also ex¬
tending cable life.

When I sent Bob the unit to test, I in¬
formed him that we would be encasing the
piezo and solder points of the DT-1 in the
future. In his article, Bob wondered if this
encasement would reduce the sensitivity. I
would like to let consumers know that we
also were aware of this possibility, and as a
result we increased the output and sensi¬
tivity of the unit before encasing it to im¬
prove the durability.

Steve Hickman
J.T. Enterprises
Kennewick WA

MALADIES & REMEDIES

After reading Rick Van Horn's "Maladies &
Remedies" in the Club Scene section of
your September issue, I would like to thank
you for all the advice that you acquire and
pass along to your readers. I've always no¬
ticed that people who play drums are usu¬
ally more likely to pass along secrets or
helpful hints than are most guitarists or other
instrumentalists. The fact that I read your
magazine every issue proves that to me
every time. I've read everything from how
to silence a practice room in a way I've
never seen to getting rid of the hiccups. I'm
not one to pick up a magazine these days
simply to see who's dating who, but rather
to learn different ways of improving my
playing or my setup. That's why I've kept
my subscription to Modern Drummer.
Thanks for all your help in the past, and for
keeping your eye on what's happening to
all the modern drummers!

Bart Windsor
Wichita KS

BISSONETTE SOUND SUPPLEMENT

I would like to thank Modern Drummer for
the great Sound Supplement by Gregg Bis-
sonette in the July issue. I think Gregg's
playing—particularly on the tune "The Brain
Dance"—was very impressive and creative,
and the feeling was good, too! Thank you,
and let's have more of this type of feature.

Riku Rautvuo _
Helsinki, Finland |lg

The world s most spectacular percussion product

(201)295-8325.

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TO BE A
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"THE DRUMMER'S
FITNESS GUIDE”

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! Calif, residents add S.97 sales tax.

MODERN DRUMMER

105

DRUMKAT

MIDI

CONTROLLER

The drumKA T\s a MIDI con¬
troller specifically designed for
drummers. The unit is 17" by
11.5" with a natural gum rub¬
ber playing

zones to allow the user to
choose the shapes and sizes of
separate drumming areas dif¬
ferently for each song. Each
pad has separate software
settings for sensitivity.

The drumKAT has two MIDI
I Ns that can be selectively
merged to four MIDI OUTs,
nine analog trigger inputs (with
separate software gain and
mask settings),

surface.

The playing surface
is visibly divided into
ten adjacent "pads" that
are circular sections. These
"pads" can be grouped into

four

foots witch in¬
puts, and a click out. It has an

on/off switch and a removable
AC power cord, and is 110V/
220V switchable for playing
outside the U.S. Sensitivity
settings for the trigger inputs
can be set by "autosensing" of
soft and hard strikes on the
trigger pads. A large range of
sensitivity is possible.

The dmrnKAT has a backlit
display with four 16-character
lines, providing a large amount
of readable information even
on a dark stage. A MIDI
monitor feature is provided to
allow observation of system
MIDI activity. Even a MIDI
cable test feature is provided.

Thirty-two "kits" of perform¬
ance settings are contained in
the drumKAT. These settings
include zoning, MIDI Chan¬
nels and Notes (up to three per
zone), velocity settings, gate
times, Program Changes, and
Volumes (six per kit). Special
features include: dynamic note
shift, dynamic gate time shift,
individual delay times when
using three notes on a zone,
and even MIDI commands
from the zones. A drummer

may also use the drumKAT to
directly control the MIDI clock
tempo and song selections on
external sequencers. For
further information, contact
KATMIDI Controllers, P.O.

Box 60607, Longmeadow,
Massachusetts 01116, or call
(413)567-1395.

DDRUM 2

The ddrum 2 is an eight-chan¬
nel, fully programmable,
MIDI-implemented brain
utilizing internal sound
memory as well as outside
cartridge ports for sound
storage. ROM memory assures
an instant change of sound
without any loading time. Any
sound may be assigned to any
pad or combination of pads,
parameters may be changed,
sounds may be linked together,
etc., in order to create an end¬
less number of "drumsets."
Memory is protected even
when the unit is turned off, or
sounds may be stored exter¬
nally via RAM memory
(known as the ddrum kitpac).

center rolls music
rcllsnuisic center
music center rolls
center rolls music

Percussion Keyboards $
Guitars Multitrack Lighting
Sound Systems ^Amplifiers

703 - 533 - 95-10

"Competitive Worldwide"

1065 West Broad Street
Falls Church, Virginia 22046

r TRAP BAG

Accessory Carrier

for carrying all of your hardware; stands, pedals,
throne, cowbells, tamborines, mics-cords,
stickbags. gig rug etc. the TRRP BAG™ is

n Good Idea

only from

Slobeat Percussion

P.O. Box 175 • Evergreen, CO • 303-697-4202

106

MODERN DRUMMER

‘DW is the “Cadillac” of
drums —America’s best .
And if you need more of a
reason than that, maybe
you should be playing
another instrument

Hear Rikki and his DW Drums /ACtf A m

on Poison’s platinum album, ^‘A J//W/

Open Up AndSay...Ahh! i aA\Y/

Drum Workshop, Inc. / 2697 Lavery Court #16 / Newbury Park, CA 91320

ROCKETT

The ddrum 2 has two sound
generators per channel, which,
according to the manufacturer,
gives all sounds a very natural
characteristic. The unit has
1,000 increments of dynamics
for maximum sensitivity. For
more information, contact
Chris Ryan at ddrum, 25
Lindeman Drive, Trumbull,
Connecticut 06611, or call
(203)374-0020.

PRO-MARK
EXPANDS
MARCHING
STICK LINE

Pro-Mark has expanded its line
of Texas Hickory marching
drumsticks to include several
popular models previously
available only in Japanese
Oak. Those models are the
DC-2S, DC-3S, DC-9, and DC-
70, each specifically designed
to meet the requirements of
the most demanding drum
lines. For further information,

see your local Pro-Mark
dealer, or contact Pro-Mark,
10707 Craighead Drive,
Houston, Texas 77025, (800)
822-1492.

NEW

PERCUSSION

PRODUCTS

FROM

GROVER

Grover Enterprises has an¬
nounced several new prod¬
ucts. In addition, improve¬
ments have been made on
existing items.

Two new mallet models
have been added: Model M2X
(11/4" nylon-headed bell/glock
mallet) and Model 5 (brass
alloy head). Both feature rattan
handles. A new line of gong/
tam-tam beaters includes
Model 77-7 (extra-large, with
dual-radius hard rubber core,
for use on large gongs) and
Model 77-2 (general-purpose,

with single-radius core and
special balance disc in the
head for added weight). Both
feature hardwood handles that
are hand-sanded and sealed, a
protective tip, and mounting
cord. Each mallet is individu¬
ally hand-wrapped using
three-ply yarn.

Grover offers a protective
tambourine case made of rip-
proof Cordura. Each case is
padded and will accommodate
one 10" double-row tambou¬
rine. Cases are available in
black or red.

Seven new models have
been added to the Wolf snare
system, each of which will
retrofit any standard drum.
These new snares are manu¬
factured using 12-strand
wound nickel-silver or bronze
wire. Each strand is individu¬
ally tensioned prior to casting
into a plastic resin butt end.
Two models are available for
13" snare drums; five are
available for 14" drums.

Grover has made improve¬
ments to its Projection Plus
tambourines. The solid hard¬

wood shell has been reduced
in width by 1/4" to create an
easier grip and reduced
weight. The tambourines also
now feature a "two-tiered"
staggered jingle arrangement,
with the top "tier" of jingles
mounted in slots 1/16' narrower
than the bottom "tier."
According to Grover, this
creates a smoother tremolo
and shake roll. The tambou¬
rines offer calfskin heads and a
choice of German silver,
beryllium copper, or phosphor
bronze hand-hammered
jingles. For more information
on any Grover product, write
Grover Enterprises, Pro
Percussion Products, 29
Bigelow Street, Cambridge,
Massachusetts 02139.

ODDO MUSIC
OFFERS
MARIMBA
PIECES

Oddo Music has released

THE NATIONS

ELECTRONIC

NATION’S LARGEST SELECTION

WE BEAT DEALS NATIONWIDE!

CALL US AND WE LL PROVE IT TO YOU,

CALL FOR EXPERT ADVICE
ASK FOR OUP TOLL FREE ORDER NUMBER

1-713-781-DRUM

5626 SouEhwflsI Frwy, HfluStOfi, TX 77057

Old faithful.

The Ludwig
Speed King.
Too lot of today's
top drummers, it isn't just
afoot pedal — it's on
old friend.

after set .year
after year.

If you could use
a friend like
that, see your
Ludwig
deafer.

ASEUUielKOMfWNy
P.O.Box 310 ■ ElkhirMN *051!

H38

MODERN DRUMMED

SINCE 1965

The only name you need to know in Drumsticks

Fibes, Inc., P.O. Box 282, Pittstown, NJ 08867 201-730-8119

Volume #2 —Six More
Guatemalan Marimba Pieces.
The selections include works
by Hurtado, Bethancourt,
Guzman, and Ovalle. Each is
arranged for three players on
two instruments (marimba or
xylophone) on large page for¬
mat. Two extra parts are in¬
cluded (doubling parts one
and two) to accommodate two
additional players to create the
full orchestrated effect of the
authentic Guatemalan
marimba. For more informa¬
tion, write to L Oddo, P.O.
Box 1074, Maywood, New
Jersey 07607.

LANG

PERCUSSION
ADDS MIDI
MASTER
VIBE KIT

Lang Percussion, Inc., has
added a new MIDI Vibe Con¬

verter manufactured by K&K
Sound of Germany to its line
of electronic percussion acces¬
sories. The converter is sold as
a retrofit kit that can be made
for any size vibraphone.

The kit includes a MIDI con¬
verter, individual pickups for
each bar, and a pair of collect¬
ing bands. The pickups are
easily epoxied onto the node
point under each bar, and do
not affect the acoustic quality
of the instrument. The outfit
has both MIDI OUT and
standard W male plugs that
can be used for straight
amplification, as a synth
trigger, or any mix of natural
and synthetic sounds. It is
touch-sensitive; notes can be
rolled and the unit responds to
mallet muffling. The response
of each bar can be adjusted,
and the patented wiring system
eliminates feedback and dis¬
tortion. For more information,
contact Lang Percussion, Inc.,
635 Broadway, New York,

New York 1001 2, (212)228-
5213.

LP RELEASES
NEWSLETTER

Latin Percussion, Inc. has re¬
leased its Highlights In
Percussion Summer 1988
newsletter. The newsletter
includes a 12-page historical
and educational overview of
Latin percussion as an integral
part in today's music. Articles
include: tips on playing the
clave from Bobby Sanabria;
Martin Cohen's photo shoots
of musicians from the world's
great cities; and an LP
endorser update. There are
also interviews with Richie
Morales of Spyro Gyra and
percussionist Steve Forman.

Other pages are devoted to
product news, gift items, and
other consumer-related infor¬
mation. Copies are available at
LP dealers nationwide, or
directly from Latin Percussion,
Inc., Dept. 559, 160 Belmont
Avenue, Garfield, New Jersey
07026.

NEW

ROLAND

PRODUCTS

Roland has recently intro¬
duced several new products of
interest to drummers and drum
programmers. These include
the Pad-80 Octapad II, the
Pad-5 MIDI Rhythm Control¬
ler, the R-8 Rhythm Composer,
the T-110 Sampling Sound
Module, and three models of
compact mixers from the Boss
line.

The Pad-80 Octapad II is an
updated version of Roland's
popular Pad-8 Octapad MIDI
controller. It has been fitted
with several additional storage,
patching, chaining; and
mixing functions, improved
control parameters, and such
features as a MIDI Soft THRU
function allowing multiple
units (or other controllers) to
be connected together in order
to expand the user's perform¬
ance capabilities.

Killer for Hire

“f’m hired to kill with my drumming,"says
Keith Cronin, drummer for the Pat Travers
Band, currently on an extensive tour of the
United States.

“The ‘Kill On Command' drums by Res¬
urrection Drums are my weapons, they kill
when I command!"

Manufactured using only top grade mate¬
rials and craftmanship. these drums not
only give Keith Cronin a unique look and
killer sound, they also stand up nite after
nrte to the punishment of his musical
assaults!

So, don't be left for dead, hire a

Kill On Command 1 set
today, your audiences
will pay you for it!

Send SI.
forourcata

Complete Drum Sets, Snare Drums and Killer Bass Drums.
Kill On Command Now! can (305) 945-8096,457-9020

Resurrection Drums, Inc., 2920 S.W. 30th Ave., Hallandale, FL33009

“My man from DULUTH"
DICK MOORE

TEACHER — DRUMMER

Owner of DRUM QUARTERS

Mod#I No, 6 "PRO“ DELUXE
DOUBLE BASS DRUM MODEL

"Set-the-Pace" Pi DAI PRACTICE PADS

Ralph C. Poe©

Box 63, DM, North White Plain*, NX 10603

cymbal warehouse

Zildjians, A, K, Z, Amir,

Scimitar, Brilliants and Platinums

on stock and ready to ship!

Wholesale Prices
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Call or write for Free Flyer:

R O. Box 106 • Leechbujg, PA 156S6 412/84MQ88

110

The Pad-5 MIDI Rhythm
Controller is a drumpad
tailored especially for the
home market. The unit
connects directly to MIDI
instruments with built-in
rhythm sound sources, and al¬
lows users to perform rhythms
by hitting the pads with their
hands or with drumsticks. Five

pads are positioned on a unit
that can be held or placed in a
lap-top position, making it
easy for anyone to play. The
Pad-5 could also be useful for
inputting drum/percussion
parts on a MIDI rhythm
machine or sequencer.

The R-8 Rhythm Composer
is Roland's top-of-the-line

□CTAPAD H

drum machine, offering high-
quality sampled sounds,
velocity-sensitive pads, a
"human feel" function for
natural-sounding rhythms, and
extremely sophisticated
control and editing functions.
Forty-eight sampled drum and
percussion sounds are stored
in the unit's internal memory,
and a Copy Voice function
allows users to alter parame¬
ters such as Pitch and Decay
and save an additional 16
edited sounds. When an op¬
tional M-128D ROM card is
used, 16 more drum and per¬
cussion sounds can be saved,
allowing users to play a total
of 80 different sounds.

Roland's T-110 Sampling
Sound Module is a sample
playback unit for musicians
who wish to use sampled
sounds, but do not have the
facility or the interest to
sample their own sounds. The
unit's front panel features four
ROM card slots that allow the
use of up to four optional
ROM cards at once. With the

combined use of four ROM
cards and the internal ROM
memory, the total memory
capacity is increased to 32M
bits (or the equivalent of eight
S-50 samplers). The 1-110 is
shipped with 14 different
sounds stored in the unit's
16M-bit ROM, including
acoustic piano, electric piano,
strings, and rhythm sounds. A
wide variety of sampled
sounds will be available on
optional ROM cards from
Roland as well as from third-
party developers.

Also from Roland are three
Boss compact mixers. Useful
as sub-mixers for multiple
electronic setups or multi-track
recording mixdowns, the units
are available in four- (BX-40),
six- (BX-60), and eight-channel
(BX-80) versions. Additional
features increase with the
larger sizes.

For information on any Ro¬
land product, contact Ro-
landCorp US, 7200 Dominion
Circle, Los Angeles, California
90040-3647.

THEY LAST LONGER

•Made of Carbo-Flex
which features 20 to
30 times longer life.
•Does not warp, chip,
or crack.

•Absorbs shock.

•Flex & response
conforms to close
grained hickory.
•Each pair ‘tuned’.
•Better response on
cymbals.

Try a pair today at your
nearest drum shop or
dealer—or write to
MAX-STIKS for your
free catalog.

■max-
stiks are
the

greatest?"
Larrie
Londln

Drummers
Drummer &
Clinician,

DiF Products, Inc.

*735Hidden Hills Dr., Cincinnali, Ohto45230

MODERN

DRUMMER

TOLL FREE

1 - 800 -
435-0715

In Illinois Call:
815-734-4151

Monday Thru Friday
8:30AM-4:30PM CST
Mastercard and VISA Accepted

Write or Call for Your
Free Drum Catalog!

The Drum Center at Veneman Music
is proud to present the new

“Total Percussion Catalog”

for 1988. We think you'll find this
catalog represents the most com¬
plete collection of drum and percus¬
sion equipment available today, and
all of it atthe absolute lowest prices.
Mail Coupon for Free Catalog.

Name .. . _
Address

City_

State_Zip

THE DRUM CENTER

Of Veneman Music Company

1 150 Rockville Pike ■ Rockville MD20852
301 762-5100

MODERN DRUMMER

111

Mooeiui
DRummeR

a great holiday
gift for your drummer
friends and relatives

Shop the Holiday Season from your easy
chair with a gift subscription to Modern
Drummer Magazine The best gift you
can give this year will also be the most
thoughtful and well remembered.

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DRummen

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NEW!

Bill Bruford ■

Transcriptions of Bruford’s greatest
performances, with Bill’s personal
commentary and suggested exercises

MODeRri mummen Publications , Inc.

The definitive book on
the drumming of Bill

Bruford

• Transcriptions of 18 of
Bruford's greatest recorded
performances, including his
work with Yes, Bruford, King
Crimson, and Moraz/Bruford,

• Bruford's personal
commentary about each piece.

• Exercises written by Bruford
to develop facility, flexibility,
and creativity at the drumset.

Here are the drum parts played by
one of rock's most legendary drum¬
mers. This book contains transcrip¬
tions of ten of Carl Palmer's most
famous recordings, including "Brain
Salad Surgery," and "Heat Of The
Moment," and also includes Carl's
personal exercises for drumset
technique.

RL PALMER

- .pplied
Rhythms

Transcription of Cart s
greatest performances
w^i Emerson, lake £
Palmer and Asia,

Cart's personal exercises
for development of
dmmsel lechnicwe.

Publications, Inc .

The Best Of Modem
Drummer is jam-
packed with advice,
concepts, and tons
of musical examples,
and offers a wide
range of enlighten¬
ing and timeless
information, un¬
available anywhere
else. Information
that can be referred
to time and time
again. It's the perfect
addition to every
drummer's library. If
you've missed any of
MD, The Best of
Modem Drummer
brings it all back
home—in one
valuable reference
book. A must for

any serious
drummer.

„ Over tOO
Selected Articles
From A Dozen Of
MD’s Most Popular
Departments

Ed Thigpen
George Marsh
Sandy Gennaro
Carrie Londin
Rick Van Horn
. ..AndMany Motv

Collins
Stewart Copeland
Omar Hakim
Russ Kunkel
Simon Phillips
Alex Van Halen
Charlie Watts

Charlie Perry
Jne Morelia
Neil Peart

Magadirti

WHEN

DOUBT,

ROLL!

YAMAHA DRUMMERS' SHOWCASE

On August 14th, 1988, at Royce Hall on the campus of U.C.L.A., Yamaha Drums sponsored the company's first Drummers' Show¬
case. Featured artists included Alex Acuna, Tommy Aldridge, Bobby Blotzer, David Garibaldi (and his group, Wishful Thinking), and
Dave Weckl. Other Yamaha artists made guest appearances as well. In order to share this exciting day of music, dialogue, and per¬
formance with drummers unable to attend, Yamaha videotaped the Showcase; the tape is slated to be available shortly.

Ratt's Bobby Blotzer.

Tommy Aldridge demonstrated his
famous bare-handed solo
technique.

Dave Weckl

Ralph Humphrey made a guest
appearance on electronic drums.

Alex Acuna combined drumset, Latin,
and other unique sounds in his
performance.

David Garibaldi

SABIAN HONORS HARGROVE

James V. "Nort" Hargrove, As¬
sistant Vice President of Manu¬
facturing for Sabian, Ltd., was
recently honored by that com¬
pany with the "Team Player Of
The Year" award. The award
was presented to Hargrove in
special recognition of his
achievements, commitment,
and overall contribution to the
company.

In pre¬
senting the
award,

Sabian
President
Robert
Zildjian
lauded
Hargrove's

"highly significant contribution
to the development and ad¬
vancement of Sabian products
worldwide." Dan Barker,
Sabian's Vice President of
Manufacturing, recounted spe¬
cifically Hargrove's "extraordi¬
nary team play abilities and his
exemplary cooperation with
manufacturing personnel, head
office
staff, and
the far-
flung
branch
employ¬
ees of the
Sabian or¬
ganiza¬
tion."

(Front row, I. to r.): Craig Gardner, V.P. Finance; Nort
Hargrove, Asst. V.P. Mfg. (Back row, I. to r.): Edmond
Bauthier, V.P. Sales, Europe; David McAllister, V.P. Mktg.;
Robert Zildjian, President; Dan Barker, V.P. Mfg.

MUSIC EXPO '89
ESTABLISHES NEW SITE;
NAMES ADVISORY BOARD

Music Expo '89, designed to be
the world's largest showcase
for music and music-related
products, will be held May 12-
14, 1989 at The Pasadena
Center in Pasadena, California.

Originally scheduled for
spring of 1988, the Expo has
been moved to The Pasadena
Center because the size and
diversity of the venue make it a
better facility for the myriad
activities envisioned by the
show's promoters. The three-
day event will host over 200
manufacturer and vendor
exhibits in a trade show format
structured for consumers.

An advisory panel has been
created to provide additional
input to the directors of the
Expo. Composed of noted

members of both the musical
instrument and entertainment
industries, Music Expo's advi¬
sory board has been instru¬
mental in helping shape and
format the overall structure for
this inaugural consumer expo¬
sition. Notable individuals
from the percussion industry
named to the board include:
Pat Brown, National Sales
Director, Pro-Mark Corpora¬
tion; James Cooper, President,
J.L. Cooper Electronics (makers
of the Cooper Soundchest);
and Rick Van Horn, Managing
Editor of Modern Drummer
Magazine.

Further information on
Music Expo '89 may be
obtained by contacting Musex,
Inc., 723 1/2 N. La Cienega

116

MODERN DRUMMER

Only Yamaha Could Build
Affordable Drums Like These .

"Affordable" is relative. To
someone like Tommy Aldridge or
Bobby Blotzer, it means the bes*
drums money can buy because
they have the big time budgets
to afford if.

To you, "affordable" proba¬
bly meant cheap. 'Till now.
Introducing Power V. Proof that
>bmoha cares enough to give
you real drums instead of stuff
that won't lost out the year.

Suift to fhe same quality standards
and specifications Yamaha drums
must meet. Power V features 9
ptys of choice Philippine mahogany
for a powerful and musical sound
unmatched in its class.

You con see it in the finishes
and hardware. You con feel it in
the shells. Most of ail you can
hear it in the rock-solid power
and projection built into every
Power Vdrum.

Tammy A Jd:tdg* Jkiftby BJa-fltr

We challenge you to find
better drums of these prices.
Thot's why Tommy and Bobby
recommend Fewer V os the
finest quality "affordable"
drums anywhere ,

'frnn-jhci .’ViLisjc Corpoj-o/kui, USA, Ofum4, Gvita's, Amplifier* DbfHiun t
6600 Qrnngeffiprpe Awe., PrtrJfc, CA

YAMAHA

Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90069,
or by calling (213)659-0701.

SUMMER
DRUMSET
WORKSHOPS
SUCCESSFUL
IN 1988

The annual Summer Drumset Workshops
sponsored by Capital University of
Columbus, Ohio were held, as usual, on
the University's campus. However, for the
first time, additional workshops were also
held at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake
City.

The workshops, now in their ninth year,
were attended by students from 16 states,
all involved in the intensive five-day
course. That course included classes in
drumset history, basic musicianship,
technique, reading, drumset styles, and
fundamentals of drum machine program¬
ming and application. In addition, all
students received both group and private
lessons as well as the opportunity to be
videotaped while performing with a
rhythm section.

The workshop director, Robert Breit-
haupt (Associate Professor of Music at

Capital University), was joined by Guy
Remonko (Associate Professor of Music at
Ohio University), Steve Houghton
(percussion instructor, Percussion Institute
of Technology, Hollywood), and Ed Soph
(faculty member, University of North
Texas). Doug Wolf was the host at the
University of Utah. The workshops re¬
ceived support from the Yamaha Drum
Company and the Sabian Cymbal
Company.

Next year's dates for the Capital
workshop are June 12-16, 1989. The
workshop at the University of Utah will
be held July 17-21, and a third workshop
is being planned, with location and dates
to be announced at a later date. For
further information, contact Robert
Breithaupt, Associate Professor of Music,
Percussion Department, Capital Univer¬
sity, Columbus, Ohio 43209.

ENDORSER NEWS

Larrie Londin has recently signed as an
endorsing artist for Drum Workshop
drums, in addition to his existing status as
a DW pedal endorser....Def Leppard's
Rick Allen and Europe's Ian Haugland are
now both using ddrum electronic drums
exclusively....Canadian studio star Barry
Keane has been added to the list of Pro-
Mark endorsers....Aquarian Industries
recently announced that Whitesnake's

Tommy Aldridge is using and endorsing
Aquarian's new drumhead line....Sabian's
artist roster has been expanded with the
addition of Jean Paul Ceccarelli (formerly
of Sting's band), Kelly Keagy (Night
Ranger), Cornell Rochester (Josef Zawinul
Syndicate), Charly Alberti (Soda Stereo),
Steve Clarke (Fastway), Steve Kellner
(Fischer Z), Tom Rivelli (Randy Travis),

Kim Weemhoff (Funky Stuff), Ron Pang-
born (Was [Not Was]), Kevin McCloud
(Jack Mack & The Heart Attack), Frank
Bellucci, and Jojo Mayer (Depart and
Stiletto)....Drummers currently endorsing
Beyerdynamic's Percussion Croup micro¬
phones include Peter Erskine, Steve
Ferrera, Jerry Marotta, and Gerry
Brown....Ricky Lawson is using the Akai
S900 sampler on Michael Jackson's Bad
tour.

REPRINTS of most
MD Feature Articles

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MODERN DRUMMER

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In our continuing effort to maximize the value of Modem
Drummeras a reference tool, the editors of MD are pleased to
offer this 1988 Index Update. The listings presented here are a
guide to virtually all of the biographical, educational, or special-
interest information presented in Modem Drummer in the past
year. Information presented in Modem Drummer issues dated
1986 or earlier is indexed in MD's Jen-Year Index (which was
presented in the December 1986 issue). Year-end indexes were
established in December of 1987, and will continue as a regular
feature in the future.

The format for the index varies somewhat, according to the
information being presented. For example, the names on the
Artist Reference List and Industry Personality Reference List are
presented alphabetically, followed by coded information showing
where any biographical or educational information pertaining to
each person named might be found. In other words, you should
be able to look up your favorite drummer and immediately see
where anything MD published about that drummer in 1988 may

be located. You'll also be informed as to whether that drummer
has written any columns for MD, and if so, in which column
departments you should look them up.

Unless otherwise noted in their headings, the column depart¬
ments are indexed alphabetically by the author's last name. In this
way, you can check out "everything written by" your favorite
columnist in 1988. Notable exceptions are Drum Soloist and
Rock Charts, which are indexed by the artists' names—as are the
reviews in On Track, On Tape, and Printed Page. Product
reviews—regardless of the column in which they appeared—are
listed alphabetically by manufacturer or product name in the
Product Review Columns section. In this way, you can quickly
find out what our reviewers thought of any particular piece of
equipment simply by looking up the item by name.

It is our hope that the manner in which we have organized our
Index Update will make it easy to use, so that you can have quick
and easy access to the wealth of information presented in MD's
pages over the past year.

The parenthetical abbrevia¬
tions indicate where informa¬
tion on (or authored by) a
given artist may be found. (In
the case of the Product Review
Columns, the abbreviations
indicate where information on
a given product may be found.)
With the exception of (F), all

abbreviations refer to column
or department titles.

(A) = Ask A Pro

(AW) = Around The World

(B) = Basics

(ER) = Electronic Review
(F) = Major Feature Interview
(FP) = From The Past
(IH) = Industry Happenings

(IM) = In Memoriam
(IS) = In The Studio
(JDW) = Jazz Drummers'
Workshop

(KP) = Keyboard Percussion
(NN) = NewAnd Notable
(OP) = Orchestral
Percussionist
(P) = Portraits

(PCU) = Product Close-Up
(RJ) = Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic
(RP) = Rock Perspectives
(SU) = Setup Update
(SDS) = Show Drummers'
Seminar

(SB) = South Of The Border

(U) = Update

(UC) = Up And Coming

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120

MODERN DRUMMER

MODERN DRUMMER PUBLICATIONS BACK ISSUES

□ #63—JANUARY 1985

Alan While, SheNy Manne, Qitie @fowfi,
Mick Mason.

#84—FEBRUARY 1985
MaF Lawts, Mark Sr?aiiclii. Mick A*Gry r
Instil- Nfeinl,

#65—MARCH 1905
Roger Taylor (Quran Dur#f^. English
Reggae, Jon Von Ohlen r Inside Premier.

#65—-APRIL 19&5
Sty Dunfcar, Steve Schaeffer, Chico
Ha-millon, Gottng VourDnum S-sok
Published.

#67—MAY 1935

Alan Dawson. Sieve Ferione, David
Robinson h D J Fontana.

UWE1985

Steve Jordan. Drum Equipment: A New
Look. Mickey Cufry, J&rry Allison.

#69—JULY 1985

Rod Morgenstein, Kenny MaJkme. 1985
Reenters Poll Winners.

#7D—AUGUST 1WS
Larry Mullen, Jr., George Grantham,
Inside Sonor.

#71—SEPTEMBER 196$
jatf Wans. Vinny Apiece. George Brown.,
#72—OCTOBER 1985
Chris Packer, Chris S?ajde, Drummens In
Atlantic City.

#73—NOVEMBER 1SB 5

Bernard Purdi-e. Bobby Chouifiard. Ed
Soph.

#74—DECEMBER 1985

Tctiy Thompgon. Nicko McBrain, Paul
Wartico.

#75—JANUARY 19E36
MD's 10m Anniversary issue. 1st MD
Sound Supplemnnh Studio Drum Sounds.
#76—FEBRUARY 1983
Roy Haynes, A.J Fero, Jimmie Fadden,
David Caiarco.

#77—MARCH 1936
Jerry Maratta. Marvin Smith, Manny
Elias r Buddy Williams.

#79—APRIL 1996

Ed Shaughnessy, Don Baldwin, Jerome
Cooper. Ray McKinley. Ted McKenna.

#79—MAY 19&E

Craig KrampP, Terry Williams, Armand
Zildjian, ANjx Coo&Ef, Bud Hairier

#0JUNE 1986

Kenny Ano-noif Adam NusSbaum, Jca
English, Doane Perry. MD Sound Supple¬
ment: Focus On Hi-Hat by Peler Ershlne.

#01—JULY t986

B%Gobham, TicoTorres, Jefl Hamilton,
Readers Poll R&suN$.

□ #82—AUGUST 1966

Steva Smith, BiitGibscn, Joe Franco,
Tfifry Bfiz2 ift: Style A Analysis.

#88—SEPTEMBER 1986
Tommy Lee. Bun E. Carlos. Jerry
Garrigan Ben Ritey.

#34-—OCTOBER 1986
Dave Weckl r Bobby Blotter, Debbi
Peterson, Staying in Shape: Pan 1.

#35— NOVEMBER 1938
Joe Morelia, David Uosikkinen,
Barnemore Bartow, Staying In Shape: Part 2.
#H— DECEMBER 1986
Simon Philips, Dave Holland Industry
Insights With Remo Belli, MD 10-Year Indux.
#37—JANUARY 1987
Gregg fljssonette. Gary Husoand. Rod
Morgenslein Sound Supplement,

#88—FEBRUARY 1987
Anton Fig, Connie Kay. Jerry Krt>on. New
York's High School: Of The Arts.

#99—MARCH 1987
Graeme Edge. Joe Smyth, B&ues
Drummers: Pan 2 r Inside Pno-Mark.

#90— MAY 1987 {Without Sound
Supplement) Uinnie Colamta, Stan
Levey, Music Medicine, tel Peart Sound
Supplement.

n #91—JUNE 1 &B7

J.R. Robinson, Lars Ulrich, Ricky
Lawson. Inside PJX
#92- JULY 1957

Pot&r Erskino, Anion Fig, Drummers of
West Gonmany, Close- upn on Drumsticks.
#93- AUGUST 1957
Buddy Rich Tribute, Mike ©gird;.

Tom Brethfiein 1987 Pleaders Poll Results.
#95- SEPTEMBER 1937
Rick MarofTa. Sieve While. Gary
Burfte, flamtolscing with Bilf Ludwig
#36 OCTOBER 1937
Narada Michael Warden, Al Jackson,

Neil Peart Contest Resets, Dave Week!
Sound Supplement

#97- NOVEMBER 1937
Randy Castillo. Curl Crass, Christian
Drummers: Part L

#93- DECEMBER 1987
Mann Katehe'. Steve Houghion,
Drumming At Disney World, I9G7 MD index.
#99- JANUARY 1938
Phi^ Gould r Richie Morals. Chick.

Webb, Drumming £ Relationship*.

#131- MARCH 1988
Rjc^AHen Richie Hayward, The
Graceland Drummers, Stryper's Robed
Sweet.

□ #102- APRIL 1988

Danny Gottlob. Alan Childs, The
Downtown Drummer*. MD Visits
Drummers Collective.

#103- MAY 1988
David Van Tieghem, BMI Berry
Charge Senate r The Cavaliers.
#104- JUNE 1988
Tommy Abridge, Ralph
Humphrey, Luis Conte. Drummers
in the Business Wofld.

#105- JULY 19BB
Liberty Dewitto, Ron Tuft CartgS
Vega, M*ck Brown, Greg Bissooette
Sound Sheet.

MODERN

PERCUSSIONIST

MAGAZINE

□ #1—DECEMBER 193#

Gaty Burton, Jamas Blades. Brazilian
GatnavaJ, Marty Hurley.

#2—MARCH 1936

Emil Richards, Bobby Hutcherson, Carol
Steele. Ralph Hartfimor.

#3—JUNE 1985

Nexus, Dais Anderson, Fred Sandord.

Ray Darrsito.

^--SEPTEMBER T995
Ralph MacDonald, Qariiefd Cadets, Chris
Lamb. Guatemalan Marimbas.

#&—December ms

David Friedmnn, Jimmy Maulen, Karen
Ervin Pershing. Jay Wanamakef.

#6—MARCH 1936
Star Of Indiana, Ray Cooper. Fred
Hinger. Earl Hatch.

#7—JUNE 1986

M*ke Maimeri, Repercussion Unit, Tom
Floal. Ray Mantilla

#8—SEPTEMBER 1936
Manolo Badrena. Keiko Ab&, William
Ktall. Ward Dunett.

#9—DECEMBER 1935
Dave Samuels, World Drum Festival.

Ken Watson. Q.C.I. Solo ConteSL
#10—MARCH 1937
Doug Howard. Reggae Percussion, Jim
Jones, Create Career
#11^JUNE 1987

Spirit CH Atlanta, Dave Samuels Sound
■Supplement, rnlokGurtu, CalArts
#12—SEPTEMBER 1937
Milt Jackso-n, Sue Hadjopdijtae, Trie
President's Percussionists, Al LeMert.

Check off She issues you desire above and send In Ihe entire ad Ail back is5ue6 are $4 00 each (this includes postage and handiirtg).

Total issues ordered_, My payment tor £____is enclosed. 1 or Dnder

l (no cash) in U S, funds fo:

MODERN DRUMMER

__ _ _ PUBLICATIONS, tNC.

NAWE Back Issue Service

870 Pompier Avenue

AtxiHtts " Cedar Grove, NJ 07009

Allow 6 to 8 weeks for
delivery

ARTIST REFERENCE LIST

-A-

AIRTO, (F) Sep. ’88 (cover)

ALDRIDGE, Tommy (F) Jun. '88 (cover)
ALEXANDER, Mousey (P) Nov. '88
ALLEN, David (U) Nov. '88
ALLEN, Rick (F) Mar. '88 (cover)
APPICE, Carmine (A) Oct. '88
ASANTE, Okyerema (F) Mar. '88 ("The
Graceland Drummers")

BAUDUC, Ray (IH) Jun.'88
BELLSON, Louie (A) Jan. '88

BENANTE, Charlie (F) May '88,

(A) Dec. '88

BENNETT, Samm (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

BENTON, Tom (U) Sep. '88
BERRY, Ala (Terry Hall) (U) Mar. '88
BERRY, Bill (F) May '88
BISSONETTE, Gregg (U) Jun. '88
BLAIR, Michael (U)Aug. '88
BONHAM, Jason (U) Sep. ’88
BOUCHARD, Albert (F) Oct. '88
BOWLER, David (UC) Sep. '88
BOZZIO, Terry (A) Feb. '88
BROCK, Jim (U) Feb. '88

BROWN, Vanessa (U) Jul. '88
BROWN, "Wild" Mick, (UC) Jul. '88
BURKE, Gary (U) Dec. '88
BUTOV, Gennadi (OP) Apr. '88

= € =

CARMASSI, Denny (F) Feb. '88 (cover),
(A) Dec. '88
CARR, Eric (A) Aug. ’88
CAVALIERS, The (F) May '88
CHILDS, Alan (F) Apr. '88
CONTE, Luis (F) Jun. '88
CREASON, Sammy (U) Apr. '88
CURRIE, Allannah (U) May ’88

= © =

D'ANGELO, Greg (U) Jul.'88
DAVIES, Cliff (A) Apr. '88
DAVIS, Carlton "Santa" (P) Feb. '88
DESBROW, Audie (U) Aug. '88
DeGANON, Clint (U) Sep. '88
DeVITTO, Liberty (F) Jul. '88 (cover)
DITTRICH, John (F) Aug. '88
"Downtown Dozen, The" (F) Apr. '88
(Bennett, Gabay, Kazamaki, Kimoto,
Linton, Miller, Mori, Moss, Mussen,
Noyes, O'Looney, Zeldman)

DUFFY, AI(IH)Jul.'88
DUPIN, Tom (P)Apr. '88

FARRISS, Jon (F) Oct. '88 (cover)
FERRERA, Steve (F) Aug. '88
FIG, Anton (A) Oct. '88
FONGHEISER, Denny (U) Dec. '88
FRANCO, Joe (A) May '88
FRANTZ, Chris (U) Nov. '88
FUSTER, Francis (F) Mar. '88 ("The
Graceland Drummers")

GABAY, Yuvall (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

GARISTO, Paul (U) Mar. '88
GOTTLIEB, Danny (F) Apr. 88 (cover),
(A) Jun.'88

GOULD, Phil (F) Jan. '88 (cover)
"Graceland Drummers, The" (F) Mar.
'88 (Asante, Fuster, Mtshali)
GRATZER, Alan (A) Jul. '88
GRIFFIN, Rayford (F) Nov. '88
GROVER, Neil (P) Dec. '88

HALE, Jeff (U) Apr. '88
HAMMOND, John (P) May '88
HAMMOND, Mark (P) May '88
HAMPTON, Lionel (F) Dec. '88
HANSON, Michael (U)Aug. '88
HARNER, Bud (U) Jun.'88
HARTMAN, John (U) Jan. '88
HAYWARD, Richie (F) Mar. '88
HEARD, J.C. (P) Jun. '88
HELM, Levon (U) Jan. '88
HISEMAN, Jon (A) Jul. '88
HOSSACK, Michael (U) Jan. '88
HUMPHREY, Ralph (F) Jun. '88
HUSBAND, Gary (U) Oct. '88

JONES^Casey (U) May '88
JOYCE, Chris (U) Jan. '88

-K —

KANAREK, Marvin (U)Aug. '88
KAZAMAKI, Takashi (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

KELTNER, )im (U) May '88
KIMOTO, Kumiko (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

KNUDSEN, Keith (U) Jan. '88
KRAMER, Joey (F) Aug. '88 (cover)
KURASHOV, Anatoli (OP) Apr. '88

-IL =

LaKIND, Bobby (U) Jan.'88
LAVIS, Gilson (F) Sep. '88

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Thatl why Danny selected
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Condenser Mic with its revolu¬
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122

MODERN DRUMMER

As good as it gets

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LAY, Sam (P) Mar. '88
LeBLANC, Keith (P)Jul.'88
LINTON, David (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

LUCAS, Moyes, Jr. (U) Mar. '88
LUCCKETTA, Troy (A) May '88
LYNCH, Stan (A) Jan. '88

MARCHICA, Ray (SDS)Aug. '88
(author: (SDS)]

MARSH, George (U) Jan. '88 [author:
(SDS)]

MARY, Ken K. (U)Jul.'88
MCBRAIN, Nicko (A) May '88, (A) Nov.
'88

McCRACKEN, Chet (U) Jan. '88

MERJAN, Barbara (P) Oct. '88
MIKHALIN, Viktor (P) Aug. '88
MILES, Buddy (F) Sep. '88
MILLER, Mark (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

MORALES, Richie (F) Jan.'88
MORGAN, Charlie (F) Oct. '88, (U)
Feb.'88

MORI, Ikoue (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

MOSS, David (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

MTSHALI, Isaac (F) Mar. '88 ("The
Graceland Drummers")

MULLEN, Larry, Jr. (A) Feb. '88
MUSSEN, Jim (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

MUZZY, John (U) Feb. '88

NEVITT, Stuart (F) Feb. '88
NOYES, Charles K. (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

NUSSBAUM, Adam (U) Apr. '88

O'LOONEY, Katie (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

OWENS, David (U) Dec. '88

— IP=*

PEART, Neil (A) Jun. '88 [author: (RJ)]
PERRY, Doane (U) Jun. '88
PLAINFIELD, KIM (A) Sep. '88

PORCARO, )eff (F) Nov. '88 (cover)
PORTINHO (P) Jan. '88
POWELL, Cozy (A) Sep. '88
PRED, Dan (U) Oct. '88
PREVITE, Robert (U) Mar. '88

RAMONE, Marky (U) Nov. '88
RAREBELL, Herman (U) Sep. '88
REID, Steve (U) May '88
RICHMOND, Dannie (IH) Oct. '88
ROACH, Max (U) Dec. '88
ROBINSON, David (U)Jun. '88
ROCKENFIELD, Scott (A) Jan. '88
ROCKETT, Rikki (F) Nov. '88
ROSENBLATT, Joel (UC) Feb. '88

SANTOS, John (U) Dec. '88 [author:
(SB)]

SCHOCK, Gina (U) Nov. '88
SCHWARTZBERG, Allan (F) Dec. '88
SEAMEN, Phil (FP)Jan. '88
SHAUGHNESSY, Ed (A) Nov. '88
SLAWSON, Brian (KP) Jun. '88
SMITH, Marvin "Smitty" (A) Aug. '88
SPENCER, Julie (P) Sep. '88
STAPLES, Benny Lee (U) Oct. '88
STINSON, Harry (F) Feb. '88
SWEET, Robert (UC) Mar. '88

= ?=

TOUGH, Dave (F) Sep. '88
TUTT, Ron (F) Jul. '88

=y=

ULRICH, Lars (A) Mar. '88

= ¥ =

VAN TIEGHEM, David (F) May '88
(cover)

VEGA, Carlos (F) Jul.'88
VELEZ, Glen (AW) Sep. '88
VITALE, Joe (U) Feb. '88
VON BOHR, Manni (U) Oct. '88

WACKERMAN, Chad (F) Dec. '88
(cover), (A) Apr. '88
WEBB, Chick (F) Jan.'88
WECKL, Dave (A) Aug. '88
WEINBERG, Max (U) Jan. '88
WERTICO, Paul (A) Oct. '88
WHITE, Alan (A) Sep. '88
WORTMAN, Kurt (UC) Oct. '88

=^,Y.2=

ZELDMAN, Peter (F) Apr. '88 ("The
Downtown Dozen")

REPRINTS of most
MD Feature Articles
and columns ARE
available! Call the

office for a
price quote

MODERN DRUMMER

INDUSTRY
PERSONALITY
REFERENCE LIST

This list contains names of individuals
known primarily as teachers or manu¬
facturers.

Beato, Fred (F) Jun. '88 ("Self-Made
Men: Drummers In The Business
World")

Duffy, AI(IH)Jul.'88

May, Randy (F) Jun. '88 ("Self-Made

Men: Drummers In The Business

World")

Stobie, Mike (F) Jun. '88 ("Self-Made
Men: Drummers In The Business
World")

MISCELLANEOUS

FEATURES

Business/Career Features

"Personal Relationships"—Jan. '88

Health And Science Features

"Beating Drums, Beating Disabilities"—
Mar. '88

Historical Features

"MD Index Update"—Dec. '88
"On The State Of The Industry"—MD
Equipment Annual, Jul. '88

Readers Poll Results

1988 Readers Poll—Jul.'88

Schools/Education Features

"Drummers Collective Roundtable"—
Apr. '88

"Drums On Campus" (Univ. of Miami,
Berklee College of Music, and N. Texas
Univ.)—Nov. '88

Sound Supplements

"Neil Peart Contest Winners" (Hess,
Killius, and Feldman)—Feb. '88
"Gregg Bissonette Drum Solos"—Jul.

'88

COLUMNS

Around The World

Brooks, Clive, "African Cross-
Rhythms"—Feb. '88

Basics

Pfeifer, Jim, "Power Beats For Beginners:
Part 1 "—Mar. '88,

"Power Beats For Beginners: Part 2"—
Apr. '88,

"Power Fills"—Jun. '88,

"Heavy Metal Power Fills: Part.1"—Sep.

' 88 ,

"Heavy Metal Power Fills: Part 2"—Oct.
'88

Rager, Chad, "Creative Practicing"—
Aug. '88

Club Scene

Van Horn, Rick, "Periodic Checkups"—
Jan. '88,

"Adapting"—Feb. '88,

"Ergonomics"—Apr. '88,

"The Whole Package"—Jun. '88,
"Regulars And Followers"—Aug. '88,
"Maladies & Remedies"—Sep. '88,
"How Much Do You Know?"—Oct. '88,
"Out Of The Dark"—Nov. '88,

"Stocking Stuffers II"—Dec. '88

Concepts

Burns, Roy, "Confidence"—Jan. '88,
"Practicing And Balance"—Feb. '88,
"Originality"—Mar. '88,

"Drum Teachers"—Apr. '88,

"Praise And Criticism"—May '88,

"Time"—Jun. '88,

"Teaching Yourself'—Jul. '88,

"Doing Your Best"—Aug. '88,

"Practicing And Fun"—Sep. '88,
"Limitations"—Oct. '88,

"Visual Learning"—Nov. '88,

"Trusting Your Own Ideas"—Dec. '88

Corps Scene

DeLucia, Dennis, "More Flim-Flams"—
Mar. '88,

"Who Are These People, Anyway?"—
Jun. '88,

"From The DrumsetTo The Drum
Corps: Part 1 "—Oct. '88

Driver's Seat

Graham, Gil, "Mastering The Fill"—
Nov. '88,

"Solo Fills And Figures"—Dec. '88

Shaughnessy, Ed, "Matching Drum
Sounds To Big Band Figures"—Jan. '88,
"Big Band Reading"—Mar. '88,

"What Do They Want In A Drum¬
mer?"—May '88

Drum Soloist

(Alphabetized by artist, not transcriber)
Blakey, Art, "Exhibit 'A"'—Jui. '38
Brown, Gerry, "The Dancer" (intro)—
Nov. '88

Colaiuta, Vinnie, "Too Hip For The
Room" (intro)—Nov. '88
Gadd, Steve, "Up Close" Video Solo—
Feb.'88

Heath, Albert, "In Walked Horace"—
Apr. '88

Mason, Harvey, "Ragtown" (intro)—
Nov. '88

Roach, Max, "Jordu"—Sep. '88

Electronic Insights

Bergeron, Jon, "Studio Sounds On A
Budget"—Nov. '88

Fiore, Jim, "Protecting Your Gear From
AC Power Monsters"—Feb. '88,

"MIDI Effects Devices"—Apr. '88

Lowig, Bob, "Choosing A Mic' For
Acoustic Drums"—Oct. '88

Mann, Ed, "The Frequency Spectrum
And Monitoring"—Mar. '88

Mater, Bob, "Threshold Of A Drum"—
Jun.'88

Instructional Features

"The World Of Drum Corps"—Aug. '88

Manufacturer/'lnside..." Features

"Inside UFIP"—Oct. '88

VATER

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MODERN DRUMMER

125

Rhodes, Larry, "Harvey Warner: A
Serious Electronic Percussionist"—Jul.
'88

Weinberg, Norman, "Custom Creating
Your Own Drum Sounds"—May '88

Equipment Reference Charts

MD Editors, "Product Reference Chart,"
MD Equipment Annual —Jul. '88

Health & Science

Alpert, Brian, "Playing Loud And
Staying Healthy"—Aug. '88

Stromfeld, Dr. )an I., "Holistic Help For
Drummers' Injuries"—Jun. '88

Van Horn, Rick, "A Conversation With
Dr. Robert Litwak"—Feb. '88

In The Studio

Krampf, Craig, "Studio-Ready Drums"—
)an. '88,

"Dealing With Studio Acoustics"—Feb.

' 88 ,

"Mic'sAnd Engineers"—Mar. '88,
"Bringing Up The Faders"—Apr. '88,
"Tips From A Recording Engineer"—Jun
' 88 ,

"Getting A Drum Sound"—Jul. '88,
"Drums, Bass, And Time Feel"—Sep.
' 88 ,

"The Headphone Mix"—Nov. '88,
"Session Rehearsals"—Dec. '88

Jazz Drummers' Workshop

Erskine, Peter, "Meeting A Piece Of
Music For The First Time"—Jan. '88,
"Ensemble Playing"—Feb. '88,

"Phrases And Bar Lines"—Apr. '88,

"Composing And Improvising"—Jun.

' 88 ,

"Samba Rhythms For Jazz Drummers"—
Sep. '88,

"Samba Variations"—Oct. '88,
'"Erskoman"'—Dec. '88

Keyboard Percussion

Samuels, Dave, "The Outer Gate"—Apr.
' 88 ,

"Using The New Technology"—Aug.

'88

Tachoir, Jerry, "Recording The
Vibraphone"—Feb. '88

Listener's Guide

Gauthier, Mark, "Buddy Rich"
(Discography)—Jan. '88

Lewellen, Russ, "Vintage Jazz For
Drummers"—May '88

Master Class

Cirone, Anthony)., "Portraits In
Rhythm: Etude #10"—Ian. '88,
"Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #11"—Mar.
' 88 ,

"Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #12"—May
' 88 ,

"Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #13"—Jul.

' 88 ,

"Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #14"—Sep.

' 88 ,

"Portraits In Rhythm: Etude #15"—Nov.
'88

MIDI Comer

Fiore, |im, "Playing Drum Machines
With Drumsticks"—Oct. '88

Putting It !
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Modem Drummer Magazine

Lots of ploying, 'bn screen 1 ' musical notation and
special appearance by Sieve Morse band bassist
Jerry f^eek. All levels.

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These tapes are the closest thing lo private lessons
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I was listening to Grooving in Styles on a long drive
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On Tape

(Reviews alphabetized by artist, not by
reviewer)

Aldridge, Tommy, Rock Drum Soloing &
Double Bass Workout (video)—Aug. '88
Aronoff, Kenny, Laying It Down
(video)—Aug. '88

Castillo, Randy, Star Licks Master Series:
Randy Castillo (video)—Jan. '88
Gottlieb, Danny, Drumming Concepts
(audio)—Aug. '88

McCracken, Chet, Star Licks Master
Series: Chet McCracken (video)—Jan.

'88

Olatunji, Babatunde, Olatunji And His
Drums Of Passion (video)—Aug. '88
Petrillo, Pat, Snare Drum Rudiments
(video)—Jan. '88

Smith, Steve, Steve Smith Part One
(video)—Jan. '88

Tachoir, Jerry, Master Study Series, Vol.

1 (video)—Aug. '88
Various Artists (Eddie Bayers, drums),
Play With The Pros (play-along audio)—
Jan.'88

Various Drummers (Acuna, Campbell,
Cobham, Colaiuta, Gadd), Zildjian Day
In New York (video)—Jan. '88
Weckl, Dave, Contemporary Drummer
+ One (audio)—Aug. '88
Wertico, Paul, Fine Tuning Your Drum
Performance (video)—Jan. '88

On Track

(Reviews alphabetized by artist, not by
reviewer)

Aerosmith, Permanent Vacation —Mar.
'88

Blakey, Art, Theory Of Art — Mar. '88
Breuer, Harry (New Trio), Mallets In
Wonderland—Sep. '88
Burton, Gary, Artist's Choice —Mar. '88
Fents, The, The Other Side —Mar. '88
Gadd, Steve, The Gadd Gang — Mar. '88
Gottlieb, Danny, Aquamarine —Mar. '88
Grisman, Dave (Quintet), Svingin' With
Svend—Sep. '88

Iron Maiden, Seventh Son Of A Seventh
Son— Sep. '88

Living Colour, Vivid —Sep. '88
Moses, Bob/Martin, Billy, Drumming
Birds—Sep. '88

The New Percussion Group Of
Amsterdam (w/Bruford and Abe), Go
Between—Sep. '88

Percussion Claviers De Lyon, Rags (Vol.
2)—Sep. ’88

Repercussion Unit, In Need Again —
Mar. '88

Samuels, Dave, Living Colors —Sep. '88
Scofield, John, Loud jazz —Sep. '88
Stevens, Leigh Howard, Bach On
Marimba —Mar. '88

Vazquez, Roland, The Tides Of Time —
Sep. '88

126

MODERN DRUMMER

Velez, Glen, Seven Heaven —Sep. '88
Vera, Billy (& The Beaters), Retro
Nuevo —Sep. '88

Orchestral Percussionist

Pershing, Karen Ervin, "Le Marteau Sans
Maitre"—Jul. '88

Printed Page

(Reviews alphabetized by book author,
not by reviewer)

Barta, Steve, The Source —May '88
Ciago, Ronnie, Ambidexterity — May '88
Erskine, Peter, Drum Concepts And
Techniques —May '88
Franchetti, Arnold, Ricamo (Embroi¬
dery)— May '88
Friedman, David, Mirror From
Another —May '88
Frock, George, Mexican Variations —
May '88

Gibson, Gary, Wallflower, Snowbird,
Carillon For Vibraphone —May '88
Gomez, Alice, Etude In D Minor —May
'88

Mancini, David, Extremes —May '88

Rock Charts

(Alphabetized by artist, not by
transcriber)

Clouden, Leroy, "Century's End"—Dec.
'88

Jackson, Al, "Back Home"—Mar. '88
Kramer, |oey, "Dude (Looks Like A
Lady)"—Aug. '88

Lee, Tommy, "Wild Side"—)un. '88
Smith, Steve, "Lovin', Touchin',
Squeezin'"—Jan. '88
White, Alan, "Rhythm Of Love"—Oct.
'88

Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic

Chaffee, Gary (and Mulkey, Lyman),
"Linear Drumming"—Dec. '88

Fields, Howard, "The Right Hand: A
Different Approach"—May '88

Morgenstein, Rod, "A Little Can Go A
Long Way"—Jan. '88,

"A Little Can Go A Long Way: Part 2"—
Feb. '88,

"In Pursuit Of Odd Time: Part 1"—Apr.
' 88 ,

"In Pursuit Of Odd Time: Part 2"—Jun.

'88,

"In Pursuit Of Odd Time: Part 3"—Jul.
' 88 ,

"Breaking With Tradition"—Sep. '88,
"What's In A Note: Part 1 "—Nov. '88

Paletta, Kelly, "Style & Analysis: Omar
Hakim"—Oct. '88

Peart, Neil, "Creating The Drum Part"—
Aug. '88

Rock Perspectives

Aronoff, Kenny, "Hand And Foot

Exercises"—Jan. '88

"Hand And Foot Exercises: Part 2"—

Mar. '88,

"Hand And Foot Exercises: Part 3"—
May '88,

"Live Vs. Studio"—Jul. '88,

"Warming Up: Part 1"—Sep. '88,
"Warming Up: Part 2"—Nov. '88

Branscum, Bradley, "5/8 Funk"—Feb.

'88

Xepoleas, John, "Triplet Fills"—Aug. '88

Shop Talk

Brooks, Clive, "Building Silent
Drums"—May '88

Budofsky, Adam, "Vater Percussion"—
Dec. '88

Clarke, John, "Rooting Out The
Noises"—Mar. '88,

"Buying Used"—Jun. '88,

"Drumset Options"—Aug. '88

DeFrancesco, Ron, "Skin On Skin
Percussion"—Apr. '88

Foley, Patrick, "Getting The Most From
Your Snare Drum"—Jan. '88,
"Re-Vamping Your Snare Drum"—Feb.
'88

Schmidt, Paul, "The Drumkit Timp"—
Mar. '88

Show Drummers' Seminar

Marchica, Ray, "The Drummer-
Conductor Relationship"—Sep. '88

Marsh, George, "Acoustic Intensity"—
May '88

Slightly Offbeat

Clarke, John, "The World's Biggest
Drum"—Apr. '88

South Of The Border

Santos, John, "The Merengue"—Jan.

' 88 ,

"The Mozambique"—Mar. '88,
"Fundamentals Of The Tumbadora"—
May '88

Strictly Technique

Glaister, Tom, "Improving Hi-Hat

Control"—Jan. '88

McKinney, James R., "Improving Hand
Control"—May '88

Sanderson, Dean, "Rockin' Rudi¬
ments"—Jul. '88

Taking Care Of Business

Philcox, Phil, "HowTo Buy A Used
Drumset...Cheap!"—Aug. '88

Teachers' Forum

Alpert, Brian, "Music And Perfection"—
Jun. '88

Friedman, Roma Sachs, "A Teacher's
Test"—Mar. '88

Lauby, Daniel, "Internalization"—May

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MODERN DRUMMER

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128

'88,

"Books And Lessons: 'Do I Really Need Them?'"—Oct.
'88

Myers, Mike, "MIDI And The Percussion Teacher"—
Jul. '88

The lobbing Drummer

Coxon, Robert, "Adapting To The Gig"—Jul. '88

Goodwin, Simon, "All In Good Time"—Feb. '88,

"In On The Count"—Apr. '88,

"Endings"—May '88,

"Making People Dance"—Oct. '88

Hurley, Mark, "Subbing: A Musical Approach"—Nov.
'88

The Machine Shop

Brooks, Clive, "The Funk Machine"—Jan. '88,
"Programming Shuffles"—Feb. '88,

"All That Jazz"—Jun. '88,

"Outside 4/4"—Aug. '88,

"Building Blocks Of Rock"—Nov. '88

Hurley, Mark, "Soloing With The Machine"—Mar. '88

LaCerra, Steve, "Recording Your Drum Machine"—
Dec. '88

Mattingly, Rick, "Tricking Your Drum Machine"—Apr.
'88

Timp Talk

Firth, Vic, "Dialogue For Timpani And Drumset"—Jan.
'88

Hinger, Fred D., "Tuning The Timpani"—May '88

T racking

Jaramillo, Hank, "Beware Of The Simple Drum
Chart"—Jan. '88,

"A Chorus Line"—Jun. '88

Richards, Emil, "Sight-Reading In The Studio"—Feb.
'88,

"Movie Cues"—Apr. '88,

"The Academy Awards"—Oct. '88,

"Odd Rhythms And Meters In TV And Film Cues"—
Dec. '88

NAMM Show Reports

Mattingly, Rick "Summer NAMM 1988" (NN)—Nov.
'88

Van Horn, Rick, "Highlights Of The 1988 NAMM
Winter Market," MD Equipment Annual (F)—Jul. '88

PASIC Reports

PASIC Report (photos only) (IH)—Mar. '88

Product Review Columns

(Listed alphabetically by manufacturer or product
name)

Alesis HR-16 Drum Machine (ER)—Oct. '88

Aquarian Drumheads (PCU)—Jan. '88

Barcus-Berry 2050 Drum PickupArigger and Krash Pad
(ER)—Mar. '88

Beyer Percussion Mic' Group (ER)—Apr. '88

Cana-Sonic Drumheads (PCU)—Feb. '88

Casio DZ-7 MIDI Drum Translator (ER)—Nov. '88

CB-700 Piccolo Snare Drum (PCU)—Oct. '88

C-Ducer A.P.T. Acoustic Percussion Trigger (ER)—Mar.
'88

Compo Drumheads (PCU)—Feb. '88
Dauz Drum Trigger Pads (ER)—Mar. '88

Drum Workshop 5000TE Triggering Pedal (ER)—Sep.

'88

Dynacord P-20 Digital MIDI Drumkit (ER)—Jan. '88

E-mu Systems SP-1200 Sampling Percussion System
(ER)—May '88

Engineered Percussion E-Pedal (ER)—Mar. '88

Evans Drumheads (PCU)—Jan. '88

Gretsch Fusion Drumkit (PCU)—Apr. '88

Grover Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

Impact Piccolo Snare Drum (PCU)—Oct. '88

Istanbul Cymbals (PCU)—May '88

J.T. Enterprises Drum Bug and Drum Bug Trigger (ER )—
Sep. '88

Little Miss Moffat Outrigger Trigger (ER)—Mar. '88

Ludwig Super Classic Kit and Black Beauty Snare
Drum (PCU)—Nov. '88

MacDrums (ER)—Dec. '88

Material Innovations Igniters and Kicks Bass Drum
Trigger (ER)—Sep. '88

Maxx Stixx Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

Noble & Cooley Piccolo Snare Drum and Drumbali
(PCU)—Oct. '88

Pearl Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

Phi Technologies Phi-Trac Trigger (ER)—Mar. '88

Premier 2024 Piccolo and 2029 Heavy Rock Nine
Snare Drums (PCU)—Mar. '88

Purecussion Drums (PCU)—Jul. '88

Remo Falams K-Series Drumheads and Spoxe (PCU)—
Jun. '88

R.O.C. Piccolo Snare Drums (PCU)—Oct. '88

Roland PM-16 and TR-626 Rhythm Composer (ER )—

|un. '88

Sabian HH Rock and Fusion Hats Cymbals (PCU)—Jul.
'88

Shawstix Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

Silver Fox Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

Sonor Signature HID 590 Snare Drum (PCU)—Mar.

'88

Techtonics SDT Trigger (ER)—Mar. '88

Tempus Instruments Piccolo Snare Drum (PCU)—Oct.
'88

The Shark Trigger Pedal (ER)—Sep. '88

Trigger Perfect SC-10 Drum Triggers (ER)—Sep. '88

Upbeat Rhythm Programmer [Software] (ER)—Feb. '88

Yamaha SD-496, SD-416, SD-498, and SD-493 Brass
Snare Drums (PCU)—Mar. '88,

Power V Drumkit (PCU)—Dec. '88

Zildjian ZMC-1 Miking System (ER)—Apr. '88,

Hi-hat cymbals (PCU)—Jul. '88,

Drumsticks (PCU)—Aug. '88

MODERN DRUMMER

2R Or Not 2B?

No question about it. Pearl has got the answer to
your drumstick dilemma. From the Standard 7A.
SA, SB and 2B sticks, available in both wood and
nylon tip, to the new Hard Rock sticks with a black
nylon tip and our own Recording, Studio and The
Dude ’ models there is a style to suit every
lype of player.

When you pick up a Pearl
Drumstick youll £

notice you feel the wood grain, not layers of slick
varnish, but premium quality American Hickory
made in the U.SlA, You'll also notice the superb
straightness* balance and quality of these sticks, and
all for a price you can afford.

So, 2B or not 2B? Well, weve got 12 correct an¬
swers to this question and we’re sure at least
one of them is the answer that you’re
* f looking for,

* Hi! i

Mil-

t b 5

RECORDING HIM

Profiles in
Percussion

Steve Ferrera

Acclaimed far his work boSb on record and
live until "Suzanne Mega!' Sieve Ferrera
has rapidly become recognized as one of
ihs niDsI previously talented percussion¬
ists around.

Though he is based n New York, Sieve's
Saleots have also become greatly sought
after in the raccfdmg studios oi London,
England. He has lent has umque rhyltmiic
voei faartists such as 'H pswayr "Mica
Paris" ^Habit" and manyol ihefresliesl
acts currenliyem nating From ihe Furtive
British pop scene.

Steve studied all aspect of percussion
at me New England Conservatory cf Music.
He beliefs lhal the abilbylo play all styles
of musfa is essential lor a successful career
in loday's music industry.

Ihe best equipment available, ^eve says
“IVe used Zfltfjian qmbats all my life, since
Ihe first cymbal I ever had. Z'ldjian really is
ihe only serious choice''

Steve
Ferrera
cymbal sel-up.

A: 13' KE Ml Hals
B: IT K Bniiut
C: ASoJaan Brillianl

0 . 16 " 2 Crash
E; 17- KParnCfash
F: 30" KCuBMHH
G: IS' A China Boy Lew

r Th? prrijf 1 wrigmsfipkfl-

AvedfsZildJIan Company

Longwater Drive. Norwelt, M A 02061

next month in

JANUARY'S

MD...

t l*fiH .Wrts^Wpjnts’-fianf

FOSTER

BRUCE HORNSBY'S

JOHN MOLO

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S

ANDERS

JOHANSSON

TERRY BOZZIO

SOUND SUPPLEMENT

Plus columns by:

Rod Morgenstein
Kenny Aronoff

Anthony Cirone

and much more...
don't miss it!

ADVERTISER'S

INDEX

Aquarian Accessories

Atlanta Pro Percussion

Bamo, Inc.

126

Sam Barnard

Beato Musical Products

123

Rob Borg

125

Calato/Regal Tip

Collarlock Canada, Inc.

Corder Drum Company

CT Audio

DC 1000 Percussion

DCI Music Video

62,67,95,101

D & F Products

111

ddrum ...

_ 104

D.O.G. Percussion

.. 56

Drummers Collective

Drum/Keyboard Shop . . .

.. 83,108

Drum Workshop

13,107

Dynacord ...*._ .. .... .

. . 75

Electro-Voice ... _

Evans Products . . .

91,93,94

Explorer's Percussion

Fibes Drumsticks

. 109

Fit To Be Publishing ..

... . 105

Chas. E.Foote, Ltd.

120

CC Music

Grant's Drum City

100

Gretsch Drums

Inside Back Cover

Hot Licks Productions

Impact Industries

Imperial

118

]emm Company

38,40

Latin Percussion

Lexicon

Victor Litz Music Center

Ludwig Industries Inside

ci5

L.T. Lug Lock

100

MD Back Issues

121

MD Equipment Annual _*_

.. 45

MD Library... .....

112/115

Music Connection Products

Musician's Institute _+... .,, ....

. 119

Musician's Organizer __

Noble & Cooley

Paiste

34/35

Pearl International

18/19,53,129

Percussion Paradise

118

Precision Drum Co.

118

Premier Percussion USA ..

5,55

Professional Video Corp.

Pro Mark

Purecussion

71 j

Paul Real Sales

127

Remo

73,124

Resurrection Drums ... _

110,118 |

RIMS

125

R.O.C. Drums

Rogers Drums

Rolls Music Center

106

Sabian

57,59,61

"Set The Pace" Pedal Practice Pads 110

Shure Bros.

7,122

Simmons Electronics USA

70,72

Slobeat Percussion

106

Sonor Percussion

Synsonics

Tama

1 7,48/49

Taw Sound £ Drum

128

Thoroughbred Music

Thunderstick

105

TropiCal Productions

—-- . 97

Valley Drum Shop

Vater Percussion

125

Vaughncraft

Veneman Music

111

Veri Sonic

120

Vic Firth, inc. .

41,56,63

Waddel's Cymbal Warehouse

110

Glenn Weber Drum Studio

The Woodwind & The Brasswind

118

Yamaha .

. 6 77 117

Zildjian ,... . 30, Outside Back Cover

130

MODERN DRUMMER

THE WORLD’S FINEST DRUMS ARE MADE IN THE U.S.A.

A HERITAGE OF QUALITY.

Since the founding of Grctsch, in 1R83 there has
been a driving force to produce top-quaihiy drums,
now proven by ovit HK> years of world-wide
recognition,

DRUMMER IS NUMBER ONE

Today, as in all of the years ofGrctsdi drum making,
drummers are always welcome in our manufacturing
plants. Greusdi wants their input, warns to know
their needs.

THE ART OF CUSTOMIZING.

Customizing a drum kit is an arc — coming from the
artist himself — most alt t iretseh drums are
customized in some way It comes easily to our
Grctsch people.

BEST OF MATERIALS.

PmfcNsionah who rriy on their *ei* for serious
rea son is want the best . Grrtsdi brings only the best
into its manufacturing lines, AJI drums are equipped
with triple chmmc-plated die-cast 1 11 hj ps and lugs at
no added charge

HARDWOOD MAPLE SHELLS.

Only one shell material can produce the famous
Grctsch resonance — (hut’s select hardwood maple,
m:idi into shells the Gretsch way.

HAND RUBBED LACQUERS.

Hand finishing throughout, including our incompar¬
able lacquer finishes, makes Grctsch a leader in selling
(he true professional look

BEAUTIFUL COLORS.

Color is an important part of artistry — die GrttSCh
choices tor customizing your set are unlimited —
any in the rainbow

THE RIMS SYSTEM.

The finest and most resonant of alt drum mounting
systems — offered factory installed on your set of
Grctsch drums.

WORLD CLASS HARDWARE.

Alt pans of the drum set are important, and that s
why (iitGith offers TECH WARE hardware. Most ver¬
bal ik of all — finest quality — greatest flexibility.

Proud to be the only
‘famiiy-fturned" drum
business in the uvirld.

fiUscf/

ONE GRET5CH PLAZA
RJDGELAND, S.C. 29936

PROMPT DELIVERY.

The customized kit you order from Grctsch has a
normal delivery schedule of about 2 months — the
best customized time schedule offered by any maker

LONG LIFE FOR YOUR SET.

Many professionals arc still playing rheir original
customized t .reisth set — a tong life is built-in simply
because fine quality materials ait built-in.

FIVE YEAR WARRANTY

It's standard with Gmsch, A five year warranty is
extended to you, to support your confidence in
these fine American made percussion instruments.

PREFERRED STUDIO SOUND.

"Gretsch drums are preferred studio drums for
warmth, resonance, quality of sound. fullness of
depth " UCfe hear it over and over again.

TOP TA LENT ARTISTS CHOOSE
GRETSCH DRUMS.

A FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICE.

Oicck Into the cost of Grctsch quality — a Gfeisch
kh just as you want it to be. You II be pleased to
know the price is surprisingly low when you consider
all of the value delivered.

“Visit your Grctsch dealer today. u> see the surprising affordability of your own custom Gretsch kit/'

f-irr JfirfiHF jSinlLTijJy-iHif diwinwahtm^bti^ 13 311 JIlaiHflfcnRtuJiPLittifnNaflcy-iPHk-fiB^tJinwlT Poster, fritiklW nanif, RC> ftufe Ri, 5 { -

THREE HEAVY
REASONS TO PLAY

ZHMANS.

Joey Kramer (Aerosmith), Rick Alien (Det Leppard),
and Gragg Rissonette (David Lee Roth). Three of the
most colossaJlv successful drummers in the history of
Rock& Rdf When you're at the very top of your profes¬
sion, is it ary wonder that you play the most cofossaUy
successful metal in the history 7 of cymbals?

wUmmatmiW: t /

t jjL Jnlv Serious Choice.

It* i cOfJj 1 of the new Z-iLd jinn Cymhpb
.t::d Acrr^nrBtrtCai^lnj:. Wild jfi.flv to:
V Tdb ZaUjuait Compani, lh-jn, NC.
! P .,n,pv H TierS>;.

£ ^ AvciisZildjiSn Cumpaj!y.

Rmthlfir.

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